A Fine Mess
by Captain Razz
Summary: We live or die by the choices we make, but when does survival make way for life? R&R! Hope you're enjoying!
1. Chapter 1

A Fine Mess

CH. 1- Harsh Beginnings

The alarm sounded throughout Jurnada Research Base. The klaxons flared on all levels as security forces scrambled to the defensive line. An alien ship had landed outside the base perimeter and a dozen large humanoids were storming the base, killing any humans they came across without preamble. The seasoned elite marine force was nearly overwhelmed, not only by the strength and strange weaponry of this new enemy, but also by the sheer panic of the researchers who got in the way at the worst times.

Alpha Division quickly ascended to surface level; their orders were to hold back the invaders at all costs until the research has been secured and spirited away. The team of six took up positions outside the main access port and strained to see through the continuously blinding snow.

"Alpha Leader this is Alpha Six. No sign of intruders. Over."

"Alpha Three to Alpha Leader. All clear. Over."

"Alpha Leader, Alpha Five here. All's quiet on the western front. Over"

"This is Alpha Leader. Hold position and keep a sharp look-out. We don't know where these bastards will come from, so keep your eyes…AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

A loud scream cut off Lieutenant Grady's orders, followed by an explosion from his direction. Panicked, questioning voices erupted over the radio, and the second in command, Sergeant Victor, immediately took up the reins.

"This is Alpha Two to squad. Close formation on Evac. Protect the research team and guard egress. Alpha Two out."

The remaining team members quickly surrounded the escape hatch, guarding the scientists as they evacuated the facility. Sergeant Victor moved quickly and quietly to check on Lt. Grady. The soldier rounded an ATV and skidded to a stop in a smear of blood. All that remained of their commander was a steaming carcass; the skull was missing, and appeared to have been ripped out with the spine. The sergeant held down rising bile and began to relay back to the team when a shimmer was noticed not five feet away. As it approached the marine heard the sound of unsheathing metal; Sergeant Victor ducked and narrowly avoided decapitation. Quickly rolling to a crouch while simultaneously firing off several shots, the soldier turned and ran around the side of the launch hangar.

A stray bullet impacted with the apparition, causing a shower of sparks and revealing a nearly 8-ft reptilian creature, heavily muscled and covered in a form-fitting mesh, minimal armor and wearing a ferocious looking mask. The creature roared and followed the human, leaping to the top of the building it hid behind. It shadowed the human along the side of the building, watching it look back and forth for signs of pursuit. The hunter chuckled at this futility and leapt from the roof, landing in front of the soldier who fell back in surprise. The creature raised a short rod above its head. The soldier, backpedaling away from the monster, heard a catch release and watched as the rod became a six-foot spear. With barely enough time to roll out of the way, the soldier ducked as the spear descended to impale helmet and skull. The tip of the spear lodged in the ground, forcing the creature to pause and yank it free. Sergeant Victor took the opportunity, drew a 9" serrated bowie knife and quickly thrust the blade into the creature's thigh. The hunter roared and backhanded the soldier away, ripping the blade the human still held out of its flesh.

The impact threw the sergeant several feet away, landing dazed against the side of a munitions vehicle. Shaking away the stars, Sergeant Victor looked up in time to once again see a descending spearpoint, and leaned to the right to avoid it. This time the marine was not fast enough and the spear caught the soldier's side, tearing the uniform and leaving a four-inch gash exposed to the frozen air. The creature roared its triumph and moved in for the kill, only to meet the human's foot in its nether regions.

Sergeant Victor quickly rolled out of the way of the roaring alien and stood. The wound sustained was a constant agonizing throb, but the trained soldier pushed the pain aside. Turning to the creature once more, the marine barely had time to react when a whirling blade cut through the air, aiming to decapitate if not maim the already wounded human. The soldier spun on one foot and felt the weapon pass within inches. Completing the spin, the marine kicked out at the approaching alien, a high kick that landed squarely on the creature's breastbone and caused it to stumble back a few paces. Sergeant Victor took the opportunity to put some much-needed distance between them and took off into the blizzard, leading the creature away from the facility.

By now the hunter was livid. Its assignment had been to infiltrate the compound and destroy the human's bio-weapons experiments, but instead it found this one soldier that simply _refused to die_. No longer focusing on the mission, the alien had blood on its mind, and a special place picked out on its trophy wall for the head of this confounded human.

In the heat of battle, neither combatant realized how far they had traveled from the research base. The marine had intended to lead the creature away, but had lost track of where in an effort to simply escape. Before long they had reached the western mountain range, approximately two miles from the facility. The alien hunter's unwavering determination had pushed the soldier further and further from the security of Alpha Squad, and the marine knew that time was running out. Both were suffering debilitating wounds, but neither had time to tend to them. Tearing around a large snow-covered boulder, Sergeant Victor paused in the hollow between the rock and the mountain to contact Alpha Squad.

"Alpha Two to Alpha Squad, do you read? Alpha Two calling team, come in, over."

The marine heard only static, and wondered if the squad had escaped. Speculation was cut short by a deep growl, and the massive alien stepped around the boulder. The sergeant readied weapons, the bowie knife and a foot-long machete, while the hunter flexed its fingers around the haft of the spear. Both realized that this was the final battle. The soldier lunged forward with a feigned thrust to the chest. As the alien brought its spear around to knock the primitive weapons aside, the human locked both blades around the spear and used the arc of its swing to run up the side of the boulder. The hunter looked up in surprise as the soldier prepared to deliver a killing blow from above. Both leapt simultaneously, just as a massive explosion rocked the landscape.

At the onslaught of the attack, the head of the research program had activated a self-destruct mechanism deep within the facility, set to detonate a 10 kiloton explosive charge that would effectively eliminate any evidence of the humans or their bio-weapons research. Unfortunately they did not count on the detonation also setting off the military armaments in storage in the facility. The subsequent explosion was larger than anyone could have anticipated. The planet's surface rippled from the magnitude of the explosion, and the western mountains rumbled from the force of the blast, shaking centuries of snow from the alien peaks in a cascading avalanche.

The snow plowed into both fighters. It knocked the alien hunter sideways, sending it flying through a snow bank and onto the surface of a hidden lake at the base of the mountain. The creature impacted with such force that the ice cracked, sending it plummeting into the frozen depths. Sergeant Victor was thrown violently from the boulder and covered by the oppressive weight of the snow, the bowie knife and machete knocked away in the torrent. The sound of the avalanche echoed across the landscape, chasing the retreating report of the explosion.


	2. Chapter 2

A Fine Mess

CH. 2 - Sanctuary

Frigid water closed over the hunter's head, shocking him out of his senses. The physiology of his species, while hardy, was no match for total immersion in sub-freezing temperatures. Though his head spun from the impact with the ice, his survival instincts kicked into high gear and he swam rapidly to the surface of the frozen lake. Before he could slow his ascent he slammed into the ice and the collision crushed his faceplate. Ripping off the useless metal before it suffocated him, his weakened vision made out a small hole in the ice, which he swam towards in the hope that it was the same crack through which he'd crashed into the lake. After an agonizing struggle to move his nearly frozen limbs, the massive alien heaved himself out of the water. He knew that there was little time to waste before he would to succumb to the cold, and his looked around the area for some sort of shelter.

The avalanche had wiped the landscape clean, obscuring previous outcroppings and boulders. The hunter took stock and realized that most of his equipment had been damaged by the snow and water, and that infuriating human. At the thought of the soldier the hunter snarled and pushed to his feet. Vengeance worked well as motivation to keep moving, and so he allowed his body to feed off of the anger that coursed through him at the thought of that soldier who had wounded and humiliated him. He growled and stomped a foot in annoyance, which sank his leg up to the knee and dropped him face-first into the snow. A spike of pain radiated up his side from the wound in his thigh.

With his body ready to commit mutiny against him, the hunter peered through the blizzard. A hill of snow rose before him up the mountainside and he barely made out a hole in the side of the mountain. Without the augmentation of his mask, his vision had weakened to a mix of light and heat, and the cave appeared as a dull black smudge surrounded by the cold gray of the snow and rock. The alien heaved to his feet and trudged slowly up the snow bank. His feet were growing numb and he continually stumbled in the deeper drifts, but anger pushed him onward – anger at himself for getting caught up in a fight with a stupid human instead of completing the mission; anger at the stupid human for refusing to die; anger mostly at the gods for all of the confounded snow.

In the midst of his grumblings, he finally made it to the opening in the mountain. He stepped into the cave and shook the snow from his head and limbs. It was only slightly warmer in the cave than outside, but at least it was shelter from the wind and blizzard. His legs ready to give out, the hunter shuffled further inside. He was about to collapse against a wall when he caught movement on the other side of the small space. His senses immediately on alert, he unsheathed his wrist blades – the only weapon that he had left. He spied a figure huddled against the far wall holding a weapon in defensive posture against its chest. The warrior stepped forward and growled ominously at the human – he was sure it was the same one he had fought, and when the human moved he saw the heat of a wound along its side, the same that he had given to the soldier. The alien raised his gauntlet as the human stood in a weak attempt to defend itself. The hunter's vision picked up its heat signature completely now, and he froze when he noticed that certain areas were warmer than others.

The soldier was female.

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The impact of the avalanche knocked the wind out of Sergeant Kayla Victor, throwing her from her feet to land on her back in the snow. Before she could think, the snow slammed into her legs and rolled her over under its massive weight. She tried in vain to straighten out into a sideways roll, but the avalanche was too strong and continued to threaten snapping her spine in two. Suddenly her back slammed into a hidden boulder, bending painfully around it as the weight of the snow continued to pummel her. Her helmet was ripped from her head, exposing delicate human skin to the relentless bite if the ice crystals. She felt as though her body would snap in half around the boulder, and reached frantically for the last grenade strapped to her belt. She was a seasoned marine and second in command of her squad; she would not go out buried under a mountain of snow. Managing to grasp the small explosive proved to be easier than holding onto it – once free of her belt it was ripped from her hand and lost in the avalanche.

Sergeant Victor prayed for the torment to end – snapped or crushed, she didn't care just so long as the unbearable contortion of her spine would cease. As though taking pity on her, the rumbling and tumbling snow finally stopped its procession and she felt the pressure on her chest and back ease. For long moments she remained buried and bent around the boulder, listening as the echo of the avalanche faded before attempting to escape. Her arms felt like lead as she slowly raised them from her sides to make room in the snow to move, and her lungs burned from lack of oxygen. She managed to bring her hands in front of her face, and proceeded to make space in front of her head and chest to ease breathing. Her left hand pushed at the snow and abruptly broke through to the surface. Tasting the fresh air in her lungs induced a moment of panic, and she frantically dug out through the hole.

A gasp of triumph escaped Kayla's throat as she emerged from the snow. _I never thought I'd be glad to see this hideous sky_. After a few more moments kicking herself free she collapsed on her back, heaving breaths attempting to refill air-starved lungs. A sharp pain in her side after a deep breath made her bite her lip, and she remembered the wound she'd received from the massive alien. Pulling at her uniform she tried to see it but wound up hissing in pain; her blood had frozen to the fabric making the entire area a painful block of ice. She dropped her head back in the snow and groaned.

"Somebody shoot me," she grumbled looking up at the mountain. From this vantage she saw that an entire side of rock had been exposed in the avalanche, revealing what looked like a hole in the mountain. _A Cave!_ Sitting up she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. The plane of snow rose approximately thirty feet in front of her, and the cave seemed to be right at the edge where snow met stone. Thinking that it was move now or stay frozen, Kayla hauled up her weary body and crawled hand over hand up the snow bank. Halfway to the top the marine spotted a glint of metal half buried in the snow. Forcing her frozen hands to dig, she unearthed the machete.

"Well hello, old friend!"

Tucking it into its sheath on her thigh, she continued up to the cave. The weary soldier braced her hands on the stone to stand, only to be blown down into the cave by the fierce blizzard winds. She rolled to a painful stop against the far wall of the cave, which wound up being smaller inside than the opening intimated – less than ten feet square. _It'll have to do_, she thought wearily. Unable to stand the cold anymore, she curled up against the stone wall and tried to think warm thoughts.

Several minutes passed when suddenly a massive shadow loomed in the entrance to the cave. Though a trained soldier, the day's events had beaten her down and Kayla's will switched from fight to flight. She cringed back against the wall and tried to be invisible as none other than her adversary and worst nightmare stumbled into view. The alien was huge in the small space, but when she saw it shivering violently and favoring its leg she figured she might have a chance if it wanted another fight. The creature shuffled toward the far wall appearing ready to collapse when abruptly its head whipped around and it unsheathed the blades from its wrist. Its features caught the breath in her throat – crab-like mandibles, sunken eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Kayla stood weakly, her machete held defensively in front of her. The creature stepped forward and looked ready to charge when it halted abruptly and cocked its head sideways, peering at her curiously from two glowing eyes. She resisted the urge to back against the wall under the weight of that stare, but nearly yelped in shock when the creature spoke.

"Fe-male?"

*************

Neither moved for several minutes; the hunter caught in an internal battle over whether he should kill the soldier or spare the female while Sergeant Victor – her wound throbbing and hands frozen – simply prayed that the being was too cold to fight with her. The stalemate ended abruptly as the entire mountain rumbled in the wake of an aftershock from the explosion. They were violently thrown to the ground as another wave of snow plowed down the mountain from the upper-most peaks. It piled into the cave, burying the alien who had fallen by the entrance.

Kayla rolled to her back after being thrown on her face. She wanted nothing more than for the nightmare to be over – to awaken in her bunk to the smell of processed air and sweaty feet – but as she gazed at the hunter struggling under the weight of the snow, something clicked in her mind that tended to be uniquely human – compassion. Just as she had desired an end more honorable than death by avalanche, something told her that this alien deserved more as well, killer or not. Even as she crawled across the cave she argued with herself. **It's just going to kill you, stupid!** _No one deserves to freeze to death!_ ** It should die period! That was the point! ** _No! Killing it in a fight is one thing…I won't watch anyone die like this._ The argument ended abruptly when she saw the hunter's struggles weaken. Only his arms from the elbow down were free of the snow, and she did the only thing she could. Reaching for his hands sticking out of the mound, she grasped them and pulled with all of her remaining strength.

"Come on, you ugly bastard, make an effort!" She grunted and swore as she pulled futilely at the alien's arms. She was about to give up when his hands clamped around hers like a vice, and she felt the movement of his body through his arms as he tried to wriggle out of the snow. The marine dug her feet into the stone floor of the cave and pulled again. Their combined efforts did the trick, and the alien's head popped out of the mound of snow. The abruptness of the movement threw her backwards and she landed painfully on her butt. The alien glared at her from under the snow as she stood and approached him again, glaring right back into his fearsome visage.

"Do you want to freeze to death in front of a human?" She asked, not expecting him to understand or answer her. "I could certainly let you," she lied. He continued to glare at her, a low growl in his throat as he tried to remove himself from the snow.

********

He could not believe his horrible luck as he faced off against the soldier. _I am Kh'aan, first born to High Elder Kh'alik and Grand Matron Sh'aan, most honored hunter of all Yautja. This stupid ooman is nothing but prey! Kill her!_ The argument warred in his mind, the rules of the hunt in stark contradiction for the first time in his life. Prey, especially challenging prey, was to be killed at all costs for the honor of the hunt, whereas females were off limits unless they had killed a Yautja. He growled in frustration. _Just perfect. It had to be female_.

Before he could make a decision, the mountain shook and threw him face-first to the ground. Dazed by the impact, his reaction time was too impaired to roll away when the first snow fell on him. Before he could move he was buried, the weight crushing him like nothing he'd ever felt. The dishonor of dying buried under a mountain of snow surged through his mind and he struggled in earnest, but before long he could no longer feel his extremities. He had just begun the Yautja prayer of last rights when he felt small hands grasp his and pull. He heard the human mutter something but couldn't make it out, and willed his arms and legs to move even as he snarled in disgust that the human was touching him. Survival instincts won over revulsion and he managed to find solid purchase under his right foot. With all of his strength focused on that one leg he pushed hard against the snow, abruptly popping his head out of the mound. The human fell back from the momentum but immediately returned. He growled in his throat, though the sound was weaker than he'd have liked.

"Do you want to freeze to death in front of a human?" The soldier asked, shivering.

Kh'aan thought about that. He was immersed in dishonor, what was a little more at this point. The thought made him snarl again at the female and he tried in vain to haul himself out of the mound. The human approached tentatively and reached out her hands again, this time appearing to offer him the choice. As the tingle of numbness crept up his legs the decision was made for him; he grasped her hands and together they pulled and pushed and finally wriggled him out of the snow.

Kayla stumbled back to her side of the cave as soon as the massive alien was free of the avalanche. She wasn't sure if her actions had helped or harmed her case, and wanted to keep as far from him as the cave would allow. Seven feet wasn't much, but it would have to suffice. She warily watched as the hunter heaved to his hands and knees and crawled to the opposite side of the space. His glowing red eyes stared holes of menace through her skull, but for the time being it seemed that a truce had been reached. She pulled her legs up tight against her chest and returned his glare. Perhaps a staring contest would keep them warm.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A Fine Mess**_

_CH. 3 – Cavemates from Hell_

Several hours passed in stillness; the only sounds were the tap of the hunter's talons on his wrist computer, and the chatter of the marine's teeth. The winds on Jurnada blew continuously, and the wide entrance of the cave allowed the biting snow to whisk inside intermittently. The small space was shaped, in Kayla's mind, like a warped Christmas tree ornament – flat on one side, a curved bulb on the other. The human sat on the more protected side of the cave wondering how long the hunter would pretend that the wind wasn't freezing his hide – every now and then he would flex his fingers before returning to punching buttons.

Kh'aan chose to ignore the human after a while of glaring death threats at it…her, he corrected. The more he acknowledged the human's presence, the more it made him think about the conundrum that he found himself in – whether to kill it or spare her. It was not something that he wanted to choose, so he busied himself checking his wrist computer for damages. The water had seeped into the unit, but it was designed to be waterproof, and he was hopeful that the distress signal he just sent would be received by the clan ship. The hunter growled quietly at the thought of having to explain himself to the clan elders. _I intended to kill the ooman, but the situation…_no…they would not accept such a feeble excuse; _the ooman snuck into the cave when I was unconscious_…no, that would be a sign of weakness. Kh'aan looked up at the human and frowned. _This is all your fault._

The weary, half-frozen marine dozed in and out of consciousness for the remainder of the day, watching the shadows lengthen as the distant sun set and plunged the already dim planet into darkness. The glow from the hunter's computer reflected off of the walls of the cave, providing a meager amount of light. Every now and then she would catch a glare from him which she returned with equal fervor, but it was starting to grate on her last nerve. Finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey!" The hunter looked up at the sound of the human's voice. _She wouldn't dare be speaking to me, would she?_

Kayla saw that she had his attention. "Do you mind stopping the evil glares of doom? You're not going to kill me with them, and you're wasting energy." She huffed under her breath and added, "Not that it matters much to me."

_Yes, I think she would dare._ Kh'aan shook his head and snorted in amusement, surprised at his reaction. As much as he wanted to rip out her skull for such insolence, it was more fun to antagonize the jumpy human. He sat forward, pleased when the female jerked back against the wall.

"No."

Kayla's jaw dropped when the hunter so blatantly ignored her with words. _You arrogant bastard,_ she thought, seeing what definitely looked like a sneer on the creature's frightful features. _Well, two can play that game, and nothing's more annoying than a bored human. _She threw her hands up in mock exasperation – her elbow cracked painfully from its nearly frozen position – before dramatically lowering her head to her knees.

"Men! Assholes in any species." She heard the hunter snort again, and from the recesses of her mind pulled out her own secret weapon – one that used to drive her squad crazy.

"_This is the song that doesn't end. It just goes on and on my friend. Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because…this is the song that doesn't end…"_

Kayla chuckled internally as she watched the hunter staring at her in the reflection of her knee guard. His eyes seemed to shine brighter every time she restarted the song, and the huffs of breath condensing in the cold air were testament to how angry he was getting.

Kh'aan thought that the human was annoying in general, but when a rolling warble began to emit from its throat – singing, he thought it was called – he knew he just might have to kill her soon. He shut out the sound of the female's voice and tried to scan for a signal from his ship.

########

An hour later, Kayla's head rested on her knees as she dozed in and out of consciousness. The hunter thought that fatigue and cold would finally stop the offending noise the human was making, but she seemed to be singing in her sleep, the same droning tune over and over again. Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"STOP!" He shouted, adding a growl for emphasis. He was glad when the human jumped at the force of his voice. _Confounded female._

Kayla looked up abruptly when the hunter's annoyance got the best of him. She cocked her head to the side innocently. "What?"

"Stop noise."

She tried to hide her snicker, hoping it looked like a shiver. "What noise?" Before he could answer she tucked her head to her knees again. After a few moments the hunter went back to tinkering with his wrist computer. Kayla couldn't stop herself now – freezing and probably left for dead, all that remained was amusement. She began the song again – in French.

"_C'est la chanson qui ne prend pas fin. Elle continue et continue, mon ami. Certain gens commencèrent à la chanter, ne sachant pas se qu'elle était, et il continueront à la chanter pour toujour par ce que... c'est la chanson qui ne prend pas fin…"_

Kh'aan had just thanked Paya for the silence when the human started anew, speaking some other language he was unfamiliar with, but still in the same warbling tune. He glared at the top of her head with disdain. _You truly want to die, don't you ooman?_

Kayla heard him growl and grinned, silently thanking her 10th grade French teacher for having a sense of humor.

########

On the far side of the Jurnada star system a gigantic alien vessel hovered over a green planet. On the command deck the High Elder glanced over the communications feeds from the unblooded hunters on the surface. It had been an uneventful hunt, boring the elder into a foul mood that was exacerbated by the loss of communication with the team sent to destroy the human base. As he watched yet another young warrior be trounced by the simple tree-dwelling life forms of the planet, he shook his head and snorted in displeasure.

_Pathetic._

His aide appeared at his side, bowing slightly in reverence before making his report. "High Elder, we have not been able to reestablish contact with the hunt ship. It is possible that the vessel has been destroyed."

"Possible, pah." Elder Kh'alik huffed in disbelief and continued monitoring.

"I only suggest such an outcome because we have received a distress signal." The hunter stepped back as the Elder bolted from his seat.

"Distress signal? You bore me with talk of destroyed vessels when you've received a DISTRESS SIGNAL!" His voice boomed across the command deck and echoed down the corridor. "Prepare my ship at once!"

"Yes, High Elder." The aide swiftly moved to relay the instructions to the launch bay, hiding his surprise that the Elder intended to oversee the retrieval.

Elder Kh'alik strode swiftly from command. His steps vibrated through the floor grating as he stormed toward the hangar. None would know from his appearance that he was on the verge of emotional collapse on the inside – it was unbecoming for the High Elder to show weakness in any form. He entered his private drop ship and barked instructions to his personal crew to depart for the source of the distress signal immediately.

Once positive that his orders would be carried out, Kh'alik marched swiftly to his chambers, snapping a few more useless orders at passing techs before shutting himself into his sanctum. Once safe from prying eyes, the Elder's façade crumbled and he wrung his quaking hands – evidence of the growing turmoil within him at receiving a call for help…

From his Firstborn.

########

The long Jurnada night seemed unnaturally extended for the two beings seeking shelter in a tiny cave. The snowstorms increased as the two moons and gas giant surrounding the frozen world inflicted their gravitational pull. Kh'aan had given up scanning for his ship several hours ago; the power cells on his wrist computer were nearly drained, and his fingers were too frozen to manage the keys anyway. Instead he concentrated on keeping warm, as his thermal mesh had also ceased to function. He sat hunched against the wall in a posture much like the shivering human soldier. She had stopped singing a while ago and simply rocked back and forth, teeth chattering and body temperature steadily dropping. Though he tried to ignore his curiosity, he couldn't stop himself from monitoring her temperature. In his vision she had drastically changed from a dull red to a fading yellowish-green. He knew that in warm-blooded creatures such a low body temperature signified death, but the human was still alive. _For the moment, _he thought, reminding himself that once he was warm again he intended to take its head for a trophy.

_I can't. The blasted ooman is female. I would be labeled a bad blood for killing a female. __**But she fought well, making her challenging prey…I have a right to her head.**__ Confounded ooman!_

From across the cave Kh'aan suddenly saw the soldier slump and fall over. Her temperature faded even more quickly as he watched, and he wondered if the female was dead. He picked up a small stone and threw it at her, hoping to hit her head but falling short and hitting her shoulder. Immediately the human sat up and frantically looked around before her eyes rested on him.

"What?"

Both satisfied and disturbed that the human lived, Kh'aan dropped his head back to his knees, filled his mind with warm thoughts of his home planet, and listened intently for the signal from his computer that he was off this rock.

Updated 020711. Many MANY (we're SO NOT WORTHY!) thanks to Moka-girl for the proper translation! You rock worlds! _Humbly, Razz._


	4. Chapter 4

_A Fine Mess_

CH 4 – Frosted Enemies

Night and half of the second day passed with no word from Kh'aan's ship. He was beginning to think that they were leaving him to die for his dishonor, but had to remember that they were unaware of the extent if it yet. Perhaps the Council of Elders knew of the destruction of the facility, but they could not yet know of the human, he hoped. Thinking of the female drew his eyes to her form, curled into a ball on the ground and shivering continuously. In the darkness she was a tiny ball of minuscule heat, growing colder as time went on. In the back of his mind a voice tried to convince him to use the portable heat source that she was, but his disgust at the thought quickly quelled any chance at action.

As he stared at the back of the female, suddenly he heard a strange murmur coming from her. He ignored it for a while, thinking that she was singing again to annoy him, but the sound caused a most unpleasant sensation to travel the length of his spine. It was not a noise like before. It seemed almost like a prayer to her god or gods. Kh'aan didn't realize that he had crawled toward her until he could hear her clearly…noticing that her voice was weak and broken from the cold.

_A-ma-zzzing gggrrace_

_Hhhooow sssssweeet-t-t th-th-the sssssssound_

_Th-tha-that sssaaved a wrettcccch llliiiike meee_

_I w-ww-once wwas lll-lost, bbbbut nnoow am fffff-ff-ffound_

_Wwwas bb-bblindddd bbbutt n-nn-nnow I ss-ss-sseeee…_

In between words her teeth chattered a rough staccato, and he wondered why they hadn't broken off from the force. She repeated the song over and over to herself, and Kh'aan determined that she was praying to her gods…a mournful sound that seemed to plead for release from her torment. He was surprised to feel empathy toward this creature, so recently targeted as his next trophy. The hunter shook his head and turned back to his side of the cave.

_Oomans…strange creatures._

Resting his head on his knees again, the chattering sound of her voice lulled him to sleep.

**********************

Unknown to the hunter, the human he was observing had lapsed into a type of hibernation, usually unheard of for her species. Instinct and subconscious will were the only active impulses – all else shut down to conserve energy for her fading pulse. In her endless freezing dream her subconscious had dredged up the ancient religious hymn, its repetitive loop keeping her system active. Though Kayla was unaware of her condition, it was the only thing keeping her alive.

***********************

Kh'aan's vision blurred as his systems slowly shut down. He could not take the cold any longer, and delirium was setting in. For a few hours he had been tracing a shaft of sunlight across the floor of the cave – impossible as it was nighttime, and even in the day the sun on this planet did not actually "shine". Never the less, his eyes watched it dance across the stone, seeming to bounce and slide over the rough surface. He dozed after the light faded, only to awaken hours later to see a small ball of heat near the cave floor. A tiny red sphere hovered about six feet in front of him, pulsing faintly and seeming to call him. Kh'aan shook his head as though to erase the vision, but the motion only made the ball more noticeable. Unable to stop himself, the hunter crawled across the cave and tried to grasp the hovering ball, but it shied further away and settled on the floor against the cave wall. The hunter's limbs felt too heavy to crawl any further. He shuffled forward a few more inches before falling on his side – the cloudy red ball floating before his eyes. Slowly he managed to raise an arm and drape it around the hovering orb, pulling it against his chest. Immediately he felt the warmth it radiated, and curled up around it in an effort to keep the heat from dissipating in the cold. He drifted back into unconsciousness desperately clutching the tiny ball of heat.

***********************

The sleek black vessel swiftly approached the ice planet. Elder Kh'alik had wasted no time in tracing the distress call, and none dared to question when he took over at the helm to pilot the ship. The crew knew better than to debate the actions of the High Elder, though their increasing confusion and curiosity had nearly reached the breaking point. Rumors traveled throughout the ranks that the Elder's emotions were running high, and that it involved his highly honored Firstborn.

Elder Kh'alik once again transmitted the response signal to the lost hunter as the ship set into orbit around the planet. His nerves were on edge and he grew more anxious as time went on with no word from Kh'aan. The mission had been simple as far as the Elder could tell; there was no justification for any 'distress', must less this inability to locate the hunter on the surface. His blindness to the possibility that his Firstborn was capable of failure did not help matters much either. To Kh'alik, Kh'aan was the prime example of what a Yaut'ja should be – the most honored hunter, the most sought-after male of their clan, born to the prestigious line of Elders and destined to take Kh'alik's place as High Elder one day. This alone, in the Elder's mind, proved that he was incapable of failure, that this "distress" must have been the result of faulty equipment.

Kh'alik sighed and tapped his mandibles together in frustration. He began to punch in the commands for a sensor sweep of the southern quadrant of the planet when the scanners triangulated Kh'aan's signal. It appeared that the hunter's computer was functioning properly, but the hunter himself was unresponsive. Elder Kh'alik abruptly altered the ships course and entered the upper atmosphere of the ice planet, his eyes glued to the trajectory readout.

***********************

The human lay nearly frozen on the cold stone of the cave floor. Biologically, her body hovered on the precipice of death. A tiny core of heat in her internal organs remained constant, like the last coal of a fire waiting for more fuel to reignite. As her body fought a losing battle to hold the last vestige of warmth, the dissipating heat suddenly returned - bouncing off unexpected insulation and reinforcing the core temperature. This reflective physical reaction served to not only save the last of the human's warmth, but residually began to build upon itself like steam within a sealed pot. The machine as a whole churned rapidly into action as the growing heat repeatedly reflected off of the wall of insulation and gradually gained intensity. Before long a symbiosis was achieved, each half of the physical equation doing its part to keep the engine running, thereby keeping the human's temperature constant at approximately 80۫ F – low by normal standards, but higher than her brush with death.


	5. Chapter 5

_A Fine Mess_

_Chapter 5 – Lost and Found_

_Beep…Beep…Beep_

She was floating in a rowboat on the lake behind her grandfather's cottage in Missouri. It was a cold day, but she felt warm wrapped up in his old handmade quilt.

_Beep…Beep…Beep_

She was standing in formation with her training squad, prepared to receive their graduation medals. Private Franz sneezed in the deafening silence, causing everyone to laugh.

_Beep…Beep…Beep_

She was running through corridors, colliding with scientists and attempting to reach the surface. Lieutenant Grady grabbed her shoulder, directing the squad to flanking positions. She shot out of the access port into the blinding snow.

_Beep…Beep…Beep_

Sergeant Kayla Victor swam up through disorientation, her eyes opening to see a massive forearm in front of her face. The strange beeping came from the device strapped to the arm. Her head throbbed, and she felt oblivion creeping up on her again. She stared groggily at the holographic image being displayed by the device. Before re-succumbing to unconsciousness she noticed what appeared to be a large, strange-looking ship approaching a bright white and blue planet.

************

Elder Kh'alik clenched his fist beneath the console as his aide, Shl'nar, once again reported negative findings on the sensor board. They had been circling a large mountain range for several hours trying to penetrate the interference caused by the metallic alloys in the stone, but had yet to pinpoint the lost hunter's location. The mountain echoed the signal, and they had searched numerous caverns only to come up empty.

"High Elder?" Shl'nar usually did not venture suggestions, but the Elder's agitation convinced him to try before blood was spilled. Kh'alik cocked his head in attention, but his eyes did not leave the console. "Perhaps we should take a more direct approach?"

Kh'alik turned fully to the aide and nodded for him to continue. Shl'nar reached forward to bring up their previous scans. "If we are unable to use the sensors then we will need to simply search the surface of the mountain itself. We have already marked the caves that were empty," he tapped the indications on the screen, "It seems simpler to finish the search on foot, as the scanners are useless. We could complete the search in one sweep, instead of continually circling. It may take longer, but in the end will prove to be more efficient." Shl'nar stepped back and awaited the explosion at such a preposterous suggestion.

Elder Kh'alik stared at the screens for a moment, his eyes darting over the highlighted caverns, before turning to his aide. "You may be right." He noted the surprise on the hunters face. "There is no sense in wasting resources in this endless, **pointless** scanning. Assemble two teams to search while we monitor from command. We will be able to reach the successful team quickly once they find hi…something." Kh'alik turned back to the console. "Good thinking, Shl'nar".

The aide nodded and quickly left command to assemble the teams. He could not hide his pride at the unusual praise from the High Elder, and hoped that his suggestion did not turn out to be a waste of time.

************

The two search teams spent hours scouring every crack visible in the ancient stone, yet still had not located the lost hunter. The High Elder felt the strain of keeping his emotions in check – keeping the explosion at bay. He had begun to accept the inevitable – if his Firstborn was indeed lost in this mountain range, then he had surely died from exposure by now. The mere possibility was more than Kh'alik could stand.

Shl'nar reentered command, wary of supplying further bad news. "Elder, I regret to inform you that…"

"Yes," Kh'alik interrupted, "There has been no sign…"

He too was interrupted when the second team called in.

"_Sh'raak reporting. We have detected a small cavern that contains a minimal heat source. We are moving to investigate."_

Kh'alik and his aide attentively scanned the readouts from the team, observing their approach to a cave too small to have been detected by the ship's sensors.

************

Sh'raak led his team up the steep snow bank that partially obscured the small cave. He had nearly mistaken the hole for a shadow until he read the faint heat signature. Though certain that it was nothing more than a thermal vent in the mountain, the Elder's mood made him make the call. They reached the top of the hill and kicked their way through the snow into the cave. The tiny space was barely enough for the four of them, and they were quick to see nothing and back out when the youngest of his team swore. His exclamation attracted all attention to a huddled mound on the cave floor. Sh'raak stepped forward, calling for his second to illuminate the cave. All swore once the torch was lit.

The High Elder's Firstborn, their mentor and leader, Kh'aan lay nearly frozen on the ground wrapped around a faintly warm human. The embrace was almost intimate, and their disgust at the sight was evident by the pungent musk that filled the air. Uncertain exactly how to handle this, Sh'raak sent word to the ship. The High Elder answered almost immediately.

"_Have you found him?"_ His impatience was very evident in his voice. Sh'raak shook his head, wondering exactly how to explain his find.

"Yes Elder, but…"

"_Well bring him in at once!"_

Sh'raak sighed. "Elder, there is a problem here that perhaps you should attend to."

"_Problem? What problem? Why are we discussing this?"_

"Elder, please come at once. I am not of the words to explain." He heard a growl as the signal ended. His second stepped forward.

"What should we do?"

"Nothing. Nothing until Elder Kh'alik assesses the situation."

Moments later the ground vibrated as the ship hovered by the cave entrance, a ramp lowering to the edge. The High Elder and his aide strode purposefully down the ramp and into the small space.

"If you have found him, why are you wasting ti…" Kh'alik stopped in his tracks when he saw his Firstborn. The surrounding hunters took a step back when a low, ominous growl began in the Elder's chest. His hands shook into fists as a vibration of rage surged through his frame. For a moment it seemed that he would kill them both, before he snapped to a decision and turned on his heel, marching back the way he came.

"Don't just stand there, bring him inside."

Sh'raak and Shl'nar exchanged glances. "Elder," Shl'nar called, "what about the ooman?"

Kh'alik paused briefly before continuing up the ramp.

"What about it?"

************

The human slowly regained some semblance of consciousness, the incessant beeping too loud to ignore. As her senses regained their function, the first thing she noticed were the shadows behind her eyelids. A low murmur mingled with a strange clicking filled her ears and she struggled to wake up.

_Come on, Kayla…something's going on and you feel drunk…wake up! _

She forced her right eye open, wincing at the sting as the frozen eyelashes separated. _I didn't dream about that arm after all, _she thought, noticing the appendage and its corresponding beeping computer. Behind the arm a bright light reflected off of the cave wall and shadows moved across the stone. She struggled to move but felt her body frozen in place from the cold and being stationary for so long. Her muscles protested every attempt at function and she could feel nothing but the textured skin against her ear.

Suddenly the alien moved. She felt his body slowly pull away from hers, and tried to cry out but her breath caught in her throat. Rough hands lifted her head violently from his arm and then dropped her back to the cold stone. Clawed fingers wedged between her legs and those of the alien, pulling him away from her. In moments the relative insulation of his body was gone.

For a moment Kayla thought that they were saved; that somehow she would be able to get off of this icy hell – prisoner or no, warm is **warm**. For a moment she tried to smile…until the bright light abruptly shut off and the cave fell into darkness…until the rumble of an engine shook the stone and dropped ice crystals on her head…until she realized that his people had left her behind.

…_shit._


	6. Chapter 6

_**A Fine Mess**_

Chapter 6 – Lost Minds

The hunters carefully carried Kh'aan to the medical bay, where the High Elder's personal healer had prepared the regeneration module for their arrival. The module, adopted from technology of a species conquered several generations previously, was a perk of elitist status reserved only for those of esteemed standing such as the High Elder. It was a marvel of technological advancement even for their species, capable of repairing any injury. Unless the patient's heart was inactive for more than a day, the device was capable of bringing anyone back from the brink of death.

The search team placed the lost hunter in the module and left the medical bay. Elder Kh'alik remained to observe while the healer attached a breathing apparatus to Kh'aan's face and set the process in motion. After several moments of scanning a summary appeared on the screen:

Tissue Damage – 65%

Organ Damage – minimal

Estimated Repair Duration – 3.5 hours

The healer made a few more adjustments to the module before starting the procedure. The large glass case began to glow a bright green as it filled with a viscous fluid, completely submerging the unconscious hunter. After another moment the healer turned to Kh'alik.

"Once he has regained consciousness I will send for you, but there is nothing more that you can do now." The High Elder caught the unsaid words – _so get out_ – and nodded before leaving the medical bay. Heading for his chambers to think, he could not erase the image of Kh'aan and that human from his mind.

"What in Paya's name were you thinking?"

**********************

Shl'nar stood in the corridor outside of the medical bay looking out of a small portal. The surface of the planet was obscured by atmospheric clouds, but in a moment the ship cleared the threshold and began the short journey back to the clan vessel. The aide could not bring himself to return to his post in command, not after what he had seen. As a seasoned warrior he was used to the harsh realities of a hunter's life, of their world. But he had never experienced such a strong reaction in his life as he did when the Elder told them to leave the human on the planet. He ran a hand down his face in frustration before heading for his chambers. One thing stuck in his mind above all else – when he had raised the humans head, its eye was open. It was alive.

***********************

Several hours later the ancient healer dozed in his chair in the medical bay. The regeneration module hummed as it completed the process, and the fluid within the chamber slowly drained. The final stage injected a stimulant into the hunter, a standard procedure aimed at returning warriors to active status as quickly as possible.

Kh'aan first became aware of fluid running off of his skin. He opened his eyes to see the closed lid of the module and tried to remember how he had come to be inside of it. He sat up as the cover opened and removed the breathing mask. His head swam from the sudden movement and he groaned as the room spun. The sound awoke the healer who quickly sent word to High Elder Kh'alik. Kh'aan watched with one eye squeezed shut as the old one bustled around the module checking readings.

"Hmmm, yes, everything looks fine. You are lucky, Firstborn. Any longer searching for you and you would be with Cetanu now. Hmmm, come now, out of the pod."

He reached forward and grasped Kh'aan's arms with surprising strength for one so old, pulling the hunter to his feet so that he could step out of the module. As Kh'aan's feet hit the floor, the door to the bay opened and the High Elder stormed in.

"Where is he? Ah, he appears none the worse for wear, as expected. Stop fawning over him. Let me see you. Of course you are well; no Firstborn of mine would give in so easily."

Kh'aan ignored the sound of his sire's voice and tried to simply stop the wave of dizziness that churned through him. As things came into focus he found that he could not remember how he wound up in this predicament.

"How did I get here?" He asked, interrupting Kh'alik's droning praise of himself and his bloodline.

The High Elder paused in mid-word to regard the hunter. "You don't remember? Don't be absurd, of course you do!" Kh'aan shook his head, and then groaned from the fresh nausea.

"The last thing I remember is the hunt ship touching down outside the perimeter of the ooman base." He looked up at Kh'alik hoping for answers; instead he met an incredulous stare. Thankfully he was saved from further interrogation by the healer.

"High Elder, he was nearly dead not a few hours ago. This disorientation will pass and his memory will return…**with rest**." The healer exerted what authority he could and hoped that the Elder would concede.

Kh'alik glared at the impudent healer before huffing under his breath and turning on his heel. "Very well, rest and report to me when the healer deems you recovered."

Kh'aan watched his sire leave the chamber before turning grateful eyes to the ancient healer, Mr'aal, who had been with his clan since long before the High Elder was born. "How long have I been here?"

"No more than a few hours, honored hunter. I did not lie when I told the Elder that you require rest. I don't know how you survived in the cold, but you should be dead." Mr'aal shook his head and turned to retrieve a thermal skin from a cupboard. "Rest now and your questions will find their answers." He waited for Kh'aan to lie down on an examination platform and covered him with the pelt. The hunter's eyes drifted shut almost immediately.

********************

Kh'aan's mind swam through swirling clouds and falling snow. He had no control over his movement and simply drifted along on the current of his dream. He floated through the clan ship and watched his team receive the assignment of destroying the ooman base. He followed the team into the ship, only for the image to change and instead he was emerging again on the frozen planet. He watched himself direct the team, and then followed as he headed off toward a cluster of ooman vehicles. The view changed and he was standing over the corpse of a human, his first trophy of the day, when another human nearly ran into him. Kh'aan hovered several feet above them and watched the battle. He found himself impressed once again with the skill of this soldier, and could not help but follow as the fight drifted away from the facility.

Suddenly a blinding flash lit the sky around him. He flew through the air from the blast, landing soundly on top of the mountain just as the snow beneath his feet slid away and carried him down the slope. He passed the human, bent around a rock; he slid across the surface of a lake and watched himself heave out of the water. He turned to look back at the mountain and came face to face with stone.

Kh'aan lashed out in frustration, attempting in vain to wake up from this dream that made no sense. He pounded on the stone before him and then whipped around to find another way out. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. A human lay on the stone floor of the cave, nearly frozen but still alive. He watched himself crawl across the cave, trying to grasp at something that hovered in the air, but there was nothing. He watched as he collapsed against the human, pulling it close for the little heat it generated. And then, all at once he realized why he was alive, and how they had survived.

***********************

Kh'aan shot up on the platform, causing Mr'aal and Kh'alik to jump back. The healer had quickly summoned the High Elder when his Firstborn had begun to thrash in his sleep. Both stood ready to restrain him if necessary while Kh'aan tried frantically to remember the rest of the dream. _The ooman…I fought it…why didn't I kill it…her…FEMALE!_

The hunter leapt from the platform as though he'd never been injured. He looked from the Elder to the healer and back before shoving between them to examine the rest of the room. Kh'alik could not contain his confusion.

"You are safely on my vessel and we are docking with the clan ship, Kh'aan. There is no need for alarm."

"Where is she?"

His first words surprised both Yautja to silence for a moment. "Where is who?" The healer asked. Kh'aan reached forward and grasped his sire by the shoulders, roaring in his face.

"WHERE IS THE OOMAN?!"

Kh'alik shrugged out of his grip, barely able to contain his rage. "You dare, you DARE to handle me?" He paused when Kh'aan looked fit to do much more. "What difference does it make? You are back where you belong."

Kh'aan's voice boomed through the corridors. "WHERE IS SHE?!!!!!"

Kh'alik had heard enough. "BACK WHERE WE FOUND **YOU**!" He turned and stalked out of the medical bay, grumbling about ungrateful pups.

Mr'aal watched the Elder leave and then turned back to his patient. To his surprise, Kh'aan had slumped back against the examination table. He seemed pale and shaken, though a musk of rage flowed from him in waves. The old healer stepped forward.

"What troubles you, warrior?" He placed a hand on Kh'aan's shoulder only to yank it back when the hunter flinched and turned fierce eyes on him. "What ooman do you speak of?" He had not been informed of this when they brought the hunter to him; only that he had nearly frozen to death.

Kh'aan stared at Mr'aal for a moment before shaking his head. "I…there was…we fought." He growled and stood, walking towards the door. "I don't know." The door closed behind him with a hiss, leaving the confused healer with a million unanswered questions.

***********************

The High Elder stormed past his aide in the corridor. Shl'nar had heard their roars of anger and was headed toward the medical bay, but he stepped back as Kh'aan emerged from the room. Unsure exactly why, he followed the hunter's wandering path through the clan ship to his chambers. Once there Kh'aan seemed to lose his way, and turned once again to walk off in another direction. Shl'nar followed him up to the observation dome where the hunter stopped and sank to the floor against a wall, his eyes gazing at the stars but clearly not seeing them. After a long moment Shl'nar approached and sat next to him. The silence extended for several minutes before Kh'aan finally noticed his presence.

"My sire has you following me now?" He asked bitterly. Shl'nar shook his head and chuckled.

"No, I follow you of my own will. Something troubles you." He hoped to talk the warrior through whatever was on his mind. Threatening the High Elder was punishable by death, Firstborn or not, and Shl'nar knew that he needed to calm the hunter down.

Kh'aan growled for a moment, angry that his sire's aide had the nerve to force answers out of him. When the silence had extended further he realized that Shl'nar might not be Kh'alik's spy after all. "There was an ooman…" The aide nodded sadly, urging Kh'aan to continue.

The tired hunter sighed before continuing. "We fought; the ooman fought very well, nearly defeated me. I wanted its head. I forgot all about the mission being so obsessed with killing it." Kh'aan shook his head at that stupidity. "When the facility exploded and the snow fell on us, we wound up in the same cave." He absently rubbed his leg, feeling the sting of the wound the soldier had given him though it had been healed by the pod.

Shl'nar wanted to urge him to continue, but something in the hunter's eyes told him that he was back on that planet again. He waited patiently and was not disappointed. Kh'aan looked to him then, and the confusion in his eyes was evident.

"The ooman was female, Shl'nar." The aide nodded but kept silent. "She…I…the snow…" Kh'aan was at a loss for words again. He kept thinking about freezing on that planet…the human was alone now; probably dead for all he knew, and the thought was unhinging him. He stood abruptly.

"How long have I been here? Exactly how long has it been since you retrieved me from the planet?" His eyes demanded answers. Shl'nar calculated for a moment.

"I would say at least six hours. The regeneration process took three and a half or so, you slept for another two, and here we are now." He glanced up at the now pacing hunter. "Why do you ask?"

The hunter was no longer listening. _Six hours…six hours alone on that planet. The module should be able to…he will forbid me from leaving. If I leave without telling him…_

Shl'nar interrupted his musings. "You plan to return, don't you? Your sire will never stand for it, you know this."

Kh'aan turned and knelt before the aide. They had never been close before but it seemed that an alliance was growing, though for what cause he couldn't bring himself to voice.

"I would be out of my mind to think it, but yes…I believe that I must." He glanced away out of the viewport. "Every fiber of my being is screaming for me to go now before it is too late, before nothing can be done." He sighed and sat against the wall again. "Oomans are fragile creatures. Such cold would have killed her by now."

Shl'nar heard the defeat in the warrior's voice, and found his own. "She was alive." Kh'aan's head snapped around to him, his neck cracking from the force. The aide nodded. "Elder Kh'alik told us to leave it there…leave _her_ there. When we separated you, I saw myself that her eye was open, watching me." He shook his head in shame. "She was alive when we retrieved you."

Kh'aan bolted to his feet, his hands clenched in fists and his mandibles flared. He paced a few steps away and back, knelt before the aide and then stood again. Shl'nar could almost see the debate going on in his mind, and knew that his part in it was unavoidable now. The High Elder might have him executed for this, but he felt the same emotion that was passing through the eyes of the agitated hunter before him – disgust at his actions and a need to right his wrong. Shl'nar stood and joined Kh'aan at the large window.

"Any action you take would result in him sending the Arbitrators after you."

"Yes."

"Your only chance is to act now before he realizes that you have left the medical bay. He still believes that you are there."

"Yes."

"If you leave, you will never be allowed to return, Kh'aan. You would give up your life, your status, your birthright as the next High Elder."

"I know."

"A short in the locking mechanism should release the docking bay doors."

Kh'aan turned his head to look intently at the aide to his sire, the High Elder; one who he never before had reason to trust. "It may at that, but would have to be timed perfectly." Shl'nar nodded. "My ship is the only other in the clan with a regeneration module on board."

"And if you take it without proper authorization…" Shl'nar shook his head and grinned. "I do not think I have ever placed myself in this much trouble." He turned to the hunter and clapped a hand to his shoulder as a sign of solidarity and friendship. "You know that I will deny all involvement if you are caught."

Kh'aan nodded and returned the gesture. "I would hope so." His expression darkened and he dropped his hand. "There is no time." Shl'nar nodded and the two quickly left the observation deck, the Elder's aide heading for launch command while Kh'aan raced for his chambers to gather some supplies.

***************************

A short while later, Shl'nar found himself distracting the officers in the launch bay, keeping their eyes away from the window and the hunter sneaking into his ship not twenty meters from them.

"There is nothing wrong with this communications relay, Shl'nar. Are you sure that the Elder had the right one?"

The aide nodded and leaned forward to point to a juncture in the relay. With all attention on his hand, none noticed his foot reach back to a panel beneath the console, depressing a red button that began to blink rapidly as he held it down. The locking mechanism emergency override not only controlled the docking bay doors, but the locks holding the ships in their stations. As the overload traveled through the system, the dozen or so ships in the bay were released one by one. The docking bay doors fell open as an alarm began to sound, alerting that the safety shield was inactive. The vacuum of space caused a cascade as ships were pulled to the opening. The technicians shouted when a small scout vessel collided with the platform frame, shaking the small control room. As chaos swirled all around them, Shl'nar caught sight of a gray blur as it shot out of the launch bay and swiftly moved away from the clan ship.

"Good luck, honored warrior."

****************

Kh'aan quickly programmed a flight path back to the planet, practically retracing his steps from the original mission. His mind had been silent from the moment he left the observation deck to put this plan in motion – the theft of his own ship – but now that he was alone and on his way, the argument began in earnest.

_I have completely lost my mind._

_This is the honorable path; there is no other to take._

_Risking my life, throwing away everything I know for an enemy?_

_If they found us in such a position, no wonder Kh'alik is beside himself._

_Turn back now before it's too late to salvage this mess._

_Honorable death…that ooman understands honorable death or it would have left me in the snow._

_Her! She is female. _

_It! It is ooman!_

_He probably thinks I want to mate with her. _

_Honorable death…she deserves a more honorable death._

_She is probably already dead._

…_shit._


	7. Chapter 7

_**A Fine Mess**_

Chapter 7 – The Brink

The stars streaked by endlessly as the solitary hunter pushed his ship to the limit. Kh'aan knew that he had at least a six-hour trip ahead of him and was determined to get there in less time. He rushed back and forth between the control room and the engine room, trying everything to get more power out of the fuel cells. He had diverted nearly every system to the engines, and even reduced life support to the bare minimum, but the stress on the ship was already apparent in the constant tremors through the support structure. By the third hour he had run out of power options, and had to occupy himself with preparing the regeneration module. He was avoiding inactivity like a plague, for that was when the internal argument raged…and he was tired of trying to answer his own questions.

Kh'aan's ship was a simple one, especially for the Firstborn of the High Elder. It consisted of only eight chambers and the lower engineering decks. High Elder Kh'alik had been offended when Kh'aan had chosen the smallest hunt ship available, instead of a large and elaborate vessel deemed worthy of the next High Elder. The hunter was not one for excess and the efficiency of the small design appealed to him. One corridor from the control room to his private chambers intersected with a short corridor linking the medical bay and training room/observation deck. Four small chambers were accessed from the main corridor – his trophy room, a small room for meals, an armory, and a bathing chamber. It was roughly the same size as a small scout ship, which was all that he needed or desired. More space might entice the council to force him to accept a hunt partner, and with only one sleeping chamber he could respectfully decline. The lack of personal space had one drawback: he had yet to determine what he would do with the human if she lived.

While checking the module's power cells, Kh'aan finally allowed himself to reflect on the single most pressing question in his mind: Why go back? He had no reason to care about the humans well being. He had been free and clear of it on the clan ship, but chose to abandon his world for a fool's quest. If the human was dead when he arrived, his idiotic humiliation would be complete and his best course of action would be to fly into the nearest sun. Shl'nar was right that he could never go home; if the Arbitrators did not execute him, Kh'alik would most certainly enjoy the privilege.

Once sure that the module would be ready for the human, Kh'aan walked the short distance across his ship to the kehrite, or training room. Unlike most that were enclosed rooms in a central location, his was situated on the starboard side of the ship and its viewport was a large bubble protruding from the hull. He found that the view centered his thoughts when he was training, and he needed that clarity now. As he fell into the movements of his routine the doubts in his mind faded. Surprisingly, he conjured a mental image of the human and found himself once again battling with her, trying to block the attacks that had been successful before. Kh'aan spun through the motions with concentrated zeal, stopping only when he collided with a wall from exhaustion. He shook off the impact and headed to the bathing room to clean up. _This is ridiculous. It's too late to harbor doubts. Whether the ooman is alive or dead, I'm stuck out here now. _

* * *

The clan ship was in chaos. The damage caused in the launch bay set numerous hunts back several weeks, and placed several ships on the waiting list for repairs. Kh'alik's fury was unmatched, and he had forgotten all about his infuriating Firstborn in the midst of the colossal mess. The technicians repeatedly claimed that the system overload was a random occurrence, but their words fell on deaf ears. The High Elder, frustrated already by the disgrace of Kh'aan, was certain that it had been an act of sabotage.

Standing behind him, Shl'nar maintained a straight face. He had not anticipated the extent of the damage from the overload, but was pleased with his first endeavor to break the rules. Calculating in his head, the aide determined that Kh'aan was at least halfway to the planet by now. High Elder Kh'alik had yet to return to the medical bay or mention Kh'aan's indiscretion at all, which Shl'nar hoped would continue for at least the rest of the day. He was counting on Kh'alik's unwavering temper in order to give the hunter time to find the human.

Kh'alik roared at another technician who denied any involvement in the accident, and was about to sentence him to the Arbitrators when he received a communication from the command center.

"_High Elder, Arbitrator Kh'val has arrived and is waiting in your private chambers."_

"Excellent," the Elder affirmed. "I will be there momentarily." He turned, nearly colliding with Shl'nar, and left launch command. "Fetch Kh'aan and bring him to my chambers."

Shl'nar bowed his head and hid a grimace. _Now it begins._

********

The Elder's aide arrived at the medical bay only to find the ancient healer once again dozing in his chair. He stood before Mr'aal and cleared his throat, awakening the old one with a start.

"Wha…what is the meaning of startling me that way? I am old you know."

"High Elder Kh'alik summons his Firstborn. Where is he?" Shl'nar suppressed a smile.

"He left hours ago. Have you checked his chambers?" Mr'aal seemed genuinely surprised, but Shl'nar caught a look of mischief in the old healer's eyes.

"Why did you not inform Elder Kh'alik of his leaving?"

Having lived so long, Mr'aal was no fool. The agitation of the Elder's Firstborn gave him an inkling that their well maintained clan was about to be thoroughly disrupted, and after hearing of the mess in the launch bay the old healer had smiled, knowing that the honored hunter was taking fate into his own hands.

"I did not think it important, and the Firstborn seemed severely agitated. I would not risk his wrath either." Mr'aal did not miss the satisfied look in the aide's eyes.

Shl'nar forced his expression to remain neutral. "High Elder Kh'alik will be sorely disappointed in your negligence, healer."

Mr'aal waved a hand in dismissal. "No more mine than yours, honored warrior, but that is not for us to decide, is it?" The old healer reclined again in his chair, and his snores could be heard in moments. Shl'nar stepped back in shock at the healer's accusation and then smiled, quietly leaving the medical bay.

_That wizened old sarkus. I wonder what else he knows. _

********

Kh'alik entered his chambers to see an immense hunter standing at his viewport. Upon hearing the door, the Arbitrator turned and bowed.

"You sent for me, High Elder?"

Kh'alik regarded his third offspring. No less formidable than Kh'aan, Kh'val was one of the youngest hunters to become an Arbitrator. Because the Firstborn was automatically deemed next successor to the High Elder, any other male offspring were granted the right to choose whatever office they wanted, and Kh'val had desired to prove that he was as worthy, if not more-so, than his brother. He had proven himself a fierce warrior without peer or pity. Bad Bloods being hunted by Kh'val tended to turn themselves in, rather than face the Arbitrator's wrath.

Kh'alik nodded to the hunter. "I have an assignment for you." Before he could continue the door to his chambers opened, admitting Shl'nar. Kh'alik noted the absence of his Firstborn.

"Where is Kh'aan?"

Shl'nar bowed and remained staring at the floor. "He was not in the medical bay, High Elder. I have checked his chambers and some of his possessions are missing." The aide was not prepared for the roar that burned his ears.

"WHAT!?" Kh'alik opened a communication with launch command. "Is Kh'aan's ship still in the launch bay?" A moment of static followed.

"_No, High Elder. It might have been lost during the overload. His ship is small enough to have slipped out of the docking bay doors."_

Kh'alik roared again, punching a hole in the wall. "I KNEW IT!" He turned fierce eyes to his aide, and then to Kh'val.

"You will find him, Kh'val. You will find your brother and bring him before me. YOU WILL FIND HIM NOW!" Kh'alik's eyes glowed red in his fury.

Kh'val bowed. "I will find him, High Elder." He turned to leave when Kh'alik called him back.

"If there is an ooman with him Kh'val, kill it and bring me its head." The Arbitrator nodded and left the room. Kh'alik paced the length of his chambers clenching and unclenching his fists. His aide stood silently until the Elder finally faced him.

"Shl'nar, I want you to find out how he did this. Find out how he nearly destroyed my ship in his effort to go back for that creature. This will not go unpunished!"

Shl'nar nodded. "Yes, Elder." He turned and left Kh'alik's chambers, hearing the Elder swear as the door hissed shut. Rather than head to the launch bay, he walked swiftly to his chambers. Sending Kh'val would prove disastrous; no one knew Kh'aan or his methods better, and the Arbitrator might easily find him. _Kh'aan must be warned_.

********

Kh'aan reentered the control room to check his progress and was surprised to see a familiar gas giant at a distance. He brought up the diagnostic systems – he had managed to shave an hour off of his journey, though now he was in desperate need of a fuel cell recharge. _Time enough for that later...and no hurry at all if she is dead._ He went back to his chambers to gather a few thermal skins, and then to the armory for his most sturdy spear. Though he could easily use his plasma burner to blast away any ice, the risk of damaging the human was too great and so he opted for chipping away at the ice if necessary. He returned to the control room to see that he was now passing the Gas Giant, and the ice planet with its two moons loomed before him. As he reduced velocity on his approach, two words repeated in his mind…

…_Be alive._

********

Kh'aan headed straight for the site of the human facility. All that remained was a still-smoldering chasm in the surface of the planet – everything had been incinerated in the blast. He got his bearings and turned toward the mountain range. It was easier to see now that the avalanche had removed most of the snow from the peaks. Circling to find the frozen lake, he scanned for any sort of heat signature even though he knew that it was futile. As he passed low over the surface his ship kicked up the snow revealing a small crack - he had found the lake. He continued to fly low, his engines blowing snow in all directions until he found the edge of the ice. Setting his ship down, Kh'aan rushed to the medical bay to power up the module, and then grabbed his supplies and hurried through engineering to the access hatch. The freezing temperature hit his skin like a thousand knives, but he pushed past the cold and trudged as quickly as he could up the snow bank to the cave.

He reached the top of the hill only to meet stone – there was no cave in sight. Growling in frustration, Kh'aan began to stomp back and forth across the snow, looking for a spot that would give and reveal the cave. He was not disappointed as his leg sank on the fifth step. Lying down with his shoulder against the stone, Kh'aan used his spear to dig and slowly unearthed the top edge of the cave opening. He kicked away at the hardened snow until the opening was wide enough to slip through and then dropped into the cave. He was immediately enclosed in darkness and activated a torch; as soon as he could see he sucked in a breath. The human lay on the ground encased in a thin shell of ice, a light dusting of snow covering her form. He slumped in defeat, thinking that his journey had been in vain; that the human was dead. Still, he scanned her with his wrist computer hoping for some sign of life. To his surprise, slight electrical impulses were still active enough for the scanners to detect.

Kh'aan grasped his spear and chipped carefully at the shell surrounding the human. Rather than removing her from it, he thought it safer to move the entire mound to his ship and extract her later. After half an hour, one last jab at the ice shoved the whole block aside by a few inches. Before attempting to lift the frozen human, he turned to the cave opening and used his spear to widen the entrance so that he could walk out with little difficulty. His first attempt to lift the block resulted in dropping it and falling on his butt. He frantically checked the ice for damage to the human, but thankfully she appeared intact. Squaring his stance, he once again heaved the block from the ground and slowly managed to carry it out of the cave. The trek down the hill to his ship was treacherous and he slipped several times, but after an agonizing struggle Kh'aan finally reached the access hatch and quickly carried the human inside.

Navigating the awkward mass through the narrow lanes of the engineering deck nearly drove the hunter mad, but the temperature of his ship lightened his load; by the time he reached the medical bay the thin shell of ice encasing the human had melted. Kh'aan placed the stiff human in the pod, strapped the breathing mask to her face as best he could and sealed the cover. Finally, the weary hunter activated the module. Almost immediately the device beeped:

Unknown Life Form Detected

Recalibrating…Please Wait…

Kh'aan's talons tapped impatiently on the cover of the module while he waited for the computer system to scan and analyze her species. He had not thought of the possibility that the module would not be able to heal a human; such advanced technology was assumed to have no limitations. After several more minutes the computer finally finished its analysis.

Unknown Life Form Scanned

Recalibration Complete – Database Updated

Tissue Damage – 77%

Organ Damage – 62%

Estimated Repair Duration – 17.5 hours

Kh'aan released the breath he had been holding; the female _could_ be saved. For a moment he pondered what this would mean for his future, but a growl in his stomach and pounding behind his eyes silenced the question. He left the medical bay for the control room, quickly taking off and setting a course away from Yautja space. He had no destination in mind as long as it was far from his clan. His stomach growled again, but before getting something to eat the exhausted hunter went back to the medical bay and knelt by the pod. _Now we are even, ooman, _he thought with satisfaction and just a little unease. A moment later Kh'aan slumped unconscious to the floor, fast asleep against the module with his face pressed to the glass.

****##****

_Always forget something...thanks for the reviews, people! It rocks that you guys like this so far! _

_Might forget again, so we'll make this "boo-yaa! thanks guys!" all-inclusive. - Cap'n Razz  
_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 8 – A Long Day_

Kh'aan awoke five hours later to an alarm sounding throughout the ship. He sat up rubbing the side of his face, now numb from being mashed against the regeneration module. He took a moment to shake the fog from his brain and then headed for the control room. The beeping alarm came from the communications array; an encrypted message had been received and required his blood key to access. Kh'aan pressed the pad of his thumb to the panel, feeling the prick of a needle, and downloaded the message:

_Arbitrator sent. Kh'val. Retrieve you. Kill ooman. Good luck._

Kh'aan swore and exited the message. He knew from previous dealings with his brother that Kh'val could track him easily by simply scanning the frequencies Kh'aan used for incoming messages. It had been a safety feature the two brothers had set up when they were on more friendly terms, but now Shr'nal's warning could lead Kh'val right to him. He made a mental note to change the comm. frequencies and then brought up external sensors and scanned the star system, cursing his bad luck when they picked up Kh'val's ship approaching on an intercept course.

The agitated hunter swiftly altered course and pushed the engines to maximum in order to outrun the Arbitrator, who matched his course and increased speed. Kh'aan's ship was the faster and more agile of the two, but Kh'val had much more experience chasing down bad bloods and his piloting skills enabled him to keep up with Kh'aan's abrupt course changes.

The communications system beeped again. "_Why do you run, brother? You can not escape me. Or are you truly a coward?"_

Kh'aan growled and deactivated the comm., switching navigation fully to manual. He took a moment to scan the vicinity, having been asleep when his ship entered this star system, and noted eight planets and at least fifteen moons. The system was ringed by a small asteroid belt that the hunter thought might come in handy if he could get to it in one piece. A three-hour game of tag ensued between the brothers. Kh'val's ship remained close on Kh'aan's tail as the hunter spun figure-eights around the various moons in an effort to lose his brother, or at the least avoid a weapons lock. He banked closely into the atmosphere of a gas giant, sending up a plume of activated vapor that slowed down the Arbitrator, though not for long as Kh'val once again locked on to his course. He veered around a ringed planet and nearly collided with a large asteroid on the edge of the belt. Swiftly changing course, Kh'aan dove directly into the belt, dodging asteroids and attempting to make Kh'val hit one. His hopes were achieved when the larger ship grazed a spinning meteoroid and veered off out of control. Kh'aan took the opportunity and raced away.

Once safely out of the asteroid belt he brought up the Masking Field protocol. Unlike a typical cloak, the field served to mimic the ships surroundings whether empty space or a planet's surface, effectively fooling any sensors looking for a cloaked ship. Kh'val didn't know of this new addition to the hunter's ship, and Kh'aan hoped it would finally be put to good use. He was about to activate the field when another alarm sounded, a wailing siren that meant only one thing – the fuel cells were nearly depleted. He checked the gauge to see that he had barely enough power remaining to find a suitable spot to recharge the cells. Though thankful for the unique power system, Kh'aan's one dilemma resided in finding the proper catalyst. A simple mineral was required to facilitate the process, and it was usually in reserve on the clan ship. The frustrated hunter scanned for a planet containing the mineral and found a small moon not far from his location with an abundant deposit in the surface crust.

An hour later, Kh'aan set down on a dead moon that closely resembled the one that orbited the human planet. He shut down all systems except the medical bay and regeneration pod. The vessel needed to be completely powered down for the cells to recharge, and he hoped that keeping the bay active would not inhibit the process. Once all systems had been deactivated he rerouted the main computer to a panel in the medical bay and locked down the control room. He headed down the corridor, paused at the juncture to medical, and turned back a few paces to the armory. With Kh'val on the loose he wanted to be prepared for anything. Returning to the bay he sealed the door and activated the recharge process; almost immediately he heard the rush of air being sucked out of the rest of the ship. After a few more moments a low hum rumbled through the bulkheads, signaling that the recharge had begun.

Kh'aan had just settled down for a long wait when another warning sounded – the intruder alarm. The frustrated hunter snarled and punched up internal sensors. Sure enough a large humanoid had hacked into the access hatch and was now sneaking around in engineering. Kh'aan reinforced the lock on the med bay door before grabbing his weapons and an atmospheric mask for breathing in the vacuum of space that now permeated the rest of the ship. He slipped through the deck plating in medical into a crawlspace that lead to the engineering deck. It did not take long for him to spot Kh'val by the main drive attempting to disable the engines.

Kh'aan paused. _This would cross the final line. If I do not kill him now, he will try all in his power to either kill us or return to Kh'alik with an elaborate story of my disgrace as a bad blood. _ This mess was getting bigger than he could handle but his choices were minimal: dump the human and return with his brother, kill him and attempt to escape, or try to make Kh'val see reason. None seemed very promising and the more he thought about it, the more he rejected the first option. The human was at the center of the entire issue – disposing of her to save his own hide would not change anything and would be an even greater dishonor than leaving her to freeze. The more he thought about it the more certain he became that he would never be able to return, nor was he capable of allowing the Arbitrator to kill the human. _Fine brother, it is time for you to regret taking this assignment. _

Kh'val had just given up on trying to hack into the deactivated engine systems and was heading for the access stairs when Kh'aan ambushed him, blocking his way to the upper deck. The Arbitrator sneered.

"Good to see you, brother. You don't look as insane as our sire implied. Perhaps you've seen reason and are willing to come home quietly."

Kh'aan simply snarled and raised his weapons. He knew that Kh'val could not be trusted to keep any oath he might promise – even returning "quietly". Being third-born had made the Arbitrator bitter and he would stop at nothing to make Kh'aan's suffering as agonizing as possible. His brother sneered again, trying to make Kh'aan move away from the stairs.

"Why are you protecting that thing? Are you so curious about oomans that you need a specimen to play with? Or perhaps you simply want to know what it is like to mate with one?" Kh'val chuckled darkly. "That is quite disgusting Kh'aan…I should kill you for such treason, but it might be more satisfying to eviscerate your pet and give you its polished bones."

Kh'aan had heard enough. He leapt forward and met the Arbitrator with weapons drawn. Kh'val blocked the charge and brought his own blades to bear, feeling them sink into Kh'aan's flesh. The hunter snarled and backhanded his brother into a cooling unit, spraying fluid on the Arbitrator and blinding him momentarily. Kh'val roared, charging Kh'aan and slamming him into the starboard engine. The brothers were almost perfectly matched in their battle – Kh'aan's superior agility from years of hunting various creatures was countered equally by Kh'val's rage-fueled strength and slight disregard for standard rules of combat. The Arbitrator had adopted some unorthodox habits having spent years hunting bad bloods. Kh'aan's only saving grace was that he knew the inside of his ship with his eyes closed. He was much more prepared for a fight in the cramped spaces of engineering, and eventually managed to trap the Arbitrator in a tight channel between two fuel cells. He grasped Kh'val's arm from in between two pipes and pulled, dislocating his shoulder. His brother staggered backwards and collided with the access hatch, snarling in defiance of his defeat.

"Our sire wants the head of your pet. I intend to deliver it."

Kh'aan brought up his foot and kicked Kh'val squarely in his facemask, breaking his two lower mandibles and causing the Arbitrator to stumble back into the release lever for the hatch. It opened with a hiss to the dead air of the moon and Kh'aan shoved his brother out to land in the dust. He swiftly shut the hatch and ran to the control room. Activating the emergency shutdown of the recharge process, the ship powered up in minutes and he quickly prepped for take off. The fuel cells were only half recharged but he needed to get as far from the Arbitrator as possible. Kh'aan looked through the forward viewport and saw that Kh'val had landed directly in his flight path; the vengeful hunter rammed the larger ship and disabled one of the navigational sensor arrays before racing away from the moon.

Several tense minutes later a new alarm sounded. Kh'aan banged his head on the console a few times. _Alarms...more alarms, always alarms…stop the alarms!_ He scanned over the readouts and swore; he had damaged the Masking Field array when he rammed the other ship, and was now leaking discharge that would be easily traceable once Kh'val repaired his vessel. Kh'aan quickly altered course and for the next hour flew a haphazard course around the planets. He hoped to leave a useless trail for his brother to follow while he escaped, somehow. His prayers were answered when his sensors detected a rogue comet passing close by. He piloted into the tail and held a tense course while trying to dodge the comet's debris, which he hoped would mask his ship and the leak.

After a few more hours, Kh'aan found another suitable moon in the next star system, this one around a small blue sun with an unstable gravitational field that was dangerous to larger ships like Kh'vals. He set down and repeated the charge process, locking himself in the medical bay – this time fully armed. He did not want to be incapacitated if his brother returned so instead of getting comfortable, he sat down on the hard floor by the module, bit back the pain from his wounds, and studied the human female for the first time. He noted her slightly darker skin, somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of human colors. The female had short hair on her head and strange piercings in the skin above her eyes – two metal posts over her left eye, one metal ring over her right. His eyes traced down her form, noting a scar across her throat that appeared to have been made by a blade; he made a mental note to ask about it if given the chance. The bulky coverings that she wore hid her body, but he did take note of her hands. They appeared strong and rough from use, and he noted many small marks and scars on them as though she had fought in hand to hand combat many times.

His musings were interrupted by a beep from the computer – the recharge process was complete. The weary hunter left medical and returned to the control room, powering up the ship and initiating the repair diagnostic. More systems were damaged than he thought, and they had completely mangled the cooling system. It would take a while for the auto-repair sequence to make the ship fully operational, and Kh'aan shuffled back to the medical bay to finally tend to his wounds. He glanced down the access stairs to see the robotic arms of the repair drones going to work on the mess he and Kh'val had made; he shook his head and sighed at the damage to his beloved ship.

Kh'aan entered the bay and grabbed a med kit. He hated the blue solvent with a passion, but for all of the technological advancements his species achieved they had never improved their medical techniques, except for the elite modules. Kh'aan bit back a roar as he smeared on the gel. Kh'val's wrist blades had left a nasty gash across his left wrist and he had yet another wound in his left thigh in almost the same place as the injury he had received from the human. His disappointment that he would retain a scar from his brother and not from the female made him laugh. _Well, if she awakens defiant perhaps I can entice another battle out of her. _

The exhausted hunter, tired of being tired, walked back to the control room and scanned the system readout. Repairs were nowhere near being complete, but Kh'val's ship had not been detected. Kh'aan pondered the situation as he rolled his damaged wrist. The female would live, but how would they survive together? Would she even accept an alliance? Was he really considering one? _We are both stuck now. She must see reason or we will kill each other. _He sat back in the command chair and closed his eyes while pressing a fist against his thigh wound to stay awake; the pain shot sparks off behind his eyelids. He was about to give in to the fatigue after his obnoxiously long day when yet another alarm sounded. Kh'aan growled and a leaned forward to read the panel – this one came from the medical bay. He rose and shuffled down the corridor, entering the bay to see that the module was draining…

And the human inside was banging on the glass.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 9 – Eye to Eye_

Kh'val sat back and activated the enfvironmental unit. As air hissed back into his medical laboratory he picked up a welding unit and began to search for leaks in the bulkheads. Kh'aan's destructive impact damaged more than the navigational array – the overload had surged through every system on the Arbitrator's ship, disabling weapons, environmental controls, navigation, even the cooling unit for his food storage. It had blown out nearly every conduit and disrupted the integrity of most chambers. Though still suffering from injuries acquired in the fight with his brother, Kh'val had been forced to see to his ship first in order to have a functioning lab. The Arbitrator set to work as the leaks became evident, forced to make repairs by hand without power to run the drones. He needed to seal off the lab before his mask ran out of air, and being unconscious outside for several hours had depleted his reserves.

Kh'val growled, his thoughts centering on his brother and the human pet that he seemed intent on protecting. The Arbitrator had been content at first to simply follow through with his mission and bring Kh'aan home, but now after such a fierce battle his gears were shifting. _You may run, brother, but this is not over. When I find you I will take great pleasure in tearing your precious ooman apart…slowly. _

Channeling his anger, the frustrated Arbitrator worked quickly. He had a lot of repairs to make before he could pick up Kh'aan's trail and time was against him.

***************

_Sergeant Kayla Victor crept through the corridors of Jurnada Research Base. She had been separated from her squad and was searching fruitlessly through the station trying to find them. She was following what sounded like the roar of the ocean, or a loud dinner party, in the hopes of finding her teammates. The soldier glanced down to her weapons and was surprised to be wielding a spaghetti spoon and garden spade._

"_What the hell?" _

_She paused at a juncture that contained the access stairs and elevator. The sound was definitely coming from the mess hall, and she twirled the spoon in her hand as though it was her precious bowie knife. A clang of metal behind her made the marine drop to the ground – mist rose up around her and she only saw four sets of clawed feet marching by – one with a tattoo of a flower on the ankle. She shook her head in confusion but rose to her hands and knees and quietly followed the feet. The mist thickened and made her choke, tasting of talcum powder and battery acid, and she was forced to rise from her crouch to breathe cleaner air. _

_Kayla knew that the next bend took her to the mess hall and the noise coming from that direction definitely sounded like many voices talking through their food, but she could not make out what they were saying. Reaching the end of the corridor she peeked into the cafeteria, and abruptly turned away and retched. _

_Large humanoids were sitting around an elaborate feast set out on a heavy oak table. Enormous red candles illuminated a dozen of the hunter-aliens dressed in humanity's finest – mostly tuxedos, a few zoot suits, and one ridiculous alien at the head of the table dressed as an Egyptian Pharaoh. In the center of the table lay three huge platters containing human body parts, and the aliens' plates were filled with entrails in what looked like a hollandaise sauce. A creature in a 17__th__ century suit complete with ruffles and cummerbund was gnawing on a finger. They all looked up at once as she entered and greeted her with a jolly roar. _

"_At last! Come forward! You are just in time!" _

_One bright purple alien in a white tux waved a hand bedecked in too many rings, motioning her to take the seat at the opposite end of the table from Pharaoh Tuskface. Kayla shook her head and began to back away only to collide with a body behind her. Turning slowly she looked up into the fearsome visage of a familiar reptilian hunter, dressed in a three-piece navy blue pinstripe suit and matching bowler hat. He grinned and waved her toward the table. _

"_The main course is ready. Join us."_

_Kayla rapidly shook her head and tried to dash around the beast before her, nearly tipping into an enormous cauldron in her haste. Shaking violently, she looked down into the vat and her eyes met those of the severed head of Lieutenant Grady. Her hands flew to her mouth as she held back the urge to vomit. Her impact with the cauldron caused more heads to float to the surface – Private Franz, Corporal Jacobs, Private Davis – and she could not hold back the scream that erupted from her throat when they all grinned at her._

"_Come on in, Sarge! The water's great!"_

"_No! No, no, no!" Kayla felt the room swirling around her and she once again backed into the hunter, who pushed her head-first into the vat. She sank rapidly to the bottom feeling the heads of her teammates bumping her from all sides. Frantically the marine tried to scramble out but met solid iron as a massive lid was placed on the cauldron. _

"_Let me out! Let me out of here!" She thrashed in the soup, pounding on the lid as the temperature rose around her. From outside she heard laughter. _

"_Did we not tell you, __you__ are the main course, human." _

_Kayla screamed…_

…and sat up, colliding with the lid to a glass case. She frantically spun in the liquid surrounding her and quickly realized that she was trapped. She opened her mouth to yell for help when she felt a mask strapped to her face; whoever put her in this case intended to keep her alive. The marine searched her prison for a means of escape but found none, and was reminded of being cooked in her dream. She began to pound on the lid when suddenly the liquid started to drain. She dropped to the bottom of the tank as the water level receded, and banged on the glass in earnest.

"Hey! Let me out of here! Hello! Let me out!" She raised her feet and started kicking at the walls of the case hoping to shatter them; instead a spike of pain shot up her leg as she sprained her foot.

"Dammit! LET ME OUT! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME HERE! LET ME OUT!"

She turned to attack the glass at the head of the tank, only to see two reptilian legs and clawed feet before her. Her tantrum ended abruptly as she followed the legs upwards, past a heavily muscled torso, past clawed hands and terribly strong-looking arms, to the face of her enemy, the alien hunter from Jurnada.

"Oh shit." She cringed as far away from the creature as the case would allow, tracking its every movement as the alien walked around the tank to a counter-top next to it. From the way its hands moved over the surface she assumed that it was a control panel, and sure enough the lid to the case opened. Before the creature could grab her Kayla sprung from the tank and scrambled across the room, snatching what looked like a surgical blade from a tray before ducking under the far counter and squeezing as far back as possible. To her surprise, the alien made no sound nor did it move toward her. It stood by the console, head cocked to the side in a curious manner, and she heard a quiet clicking coming from it.

The stalemate lasted for 10 minutes before the creature finally moved. It stepped around the glass case slowly, removing what looked like weapons and placing them on the console before walking carefully towards her. Sergeant Victor's nerves were taut and she raised the blade in front of her with no thought to their previous battle and the futility of such a small weapon against this massive creature. The hunter slowed its procession, taking one step every few seconds, until it finally came within reach of her. Sitting down cross-legged, the alien placed its hands on its knees and watched the marine.

Kayla's internal battle raged. The creature was obviously trying to put her at ease if its silence and careful movements were any indication, but she could not bring herself to calm down. As a staring contest ensued she was reminded of the cave and everything came rushing back, right up to his rescue and her acceptance of death. Her hands shook holding the tiny surgical knife and a single bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. The alien's eyes moved from her face to the weapon and back, taking in her panicked state, and finally it spoke.

"Truce."

* * *

Kh'aan walked carefully around the module noting that the female shrank back from him within it. He scanned the panel and was surprised to find that the process had completed ahead of schedule. _Resilient ooman._ He glanced up to meet the fearful eyes of the soldier and punched the command to open the pod. The female scrambled from the module so quickly it shocked him that she had recovered so rapidly. He recalled his emergence from the pod on his sire's ship, and the grogginess and disorientation he had experienced was absent from the frantic human before him. She seemed more than alert; she was charged and ready to fight.

The hunter slowly removed a small dagger and a throwing disk from his belt, placing them on the console by the module before he stepped carefully toward her. Her eyes tracked his every movement even as the blade wavered in her hands. This was not going at all like he hoped, but at the same time she had yet to attack him. Kh'aan moved forward until he was about two strides from her and sat on the floor. Her eyes locked to his as though daring him to challenge her. He searched his memory for the proper term in her language to set the frightened female at ease, watching for acknowledgment of what he was saying.

"What?" Her voice cracked.

"Truce." He wanted to make sure that she knew what he meant by that single word before he attempted to communicate further.

Sergeant Kayla Victor was running on pure instinct at the moment, which left her high on adrenaline and incapable of anything other than military response. The creature's words were understood in her mind, but the marine in her immediately distrusted the words of an enemy, and could not grasp that the alien did not wish to fight with her any more. The trembling hand steadied, and her eyes steeled as she stared the hunter down. Kh'aan shook his head and tried again.

"Fight over. Truce." He paused to read her eyes, seeing only fierce defensive determination, and tried another approach. "You…are…safe."

Kayla shook her head trying to clear the hardening unease within it. The creature before her was the same one that she had battled on Jurnada, but it was not acting the part. She tried to make her mind absorb the information but kept coming back to one thing: _You tried to kill me. Why are you just sitting there when you tried to kill me?_ It must have shown on her face because the alien chuckled while watching her. At least, the rattling sound and turn of its mandibles seemed to indicate laughter.

"Battle over." He inclined his head to her in what he hoped was a show of respect. "Respect warrior. Not fight. No more."

_First rule of first contact, Sergeant…peace before war. _She blinked a few times. "If so, what is the second rule of second contact?"

Kh'aan had no idea what she was talking about but the female seemed to come to a decision regardless, lowering the blade though she did not drop it. He sighed in relief. It was a start.

* * *

The situation on the clan ship had grown tense over the past day. Hunters, servants and techs alike took careful steps to avoid the wrath of the High Elder. Kh'alik had not emerged from his chambers for several hours, yet he seemed to know exactly whose actions were displeasing and had sentenced several Yautja to the arbitrators by proxy during that time.

Shl'nar was growing tired of being the hand of fate for Kh'alik in his current state of mind. The poor souls who were sent to the holding cells for judgment had done nothing wrong and yet were punished for his and Kh'aan's actions. He was on his way to the High Elder's chambers when the thought occurred to him to try to shift the Kh'alik's attention away from the clan ship and back to Kh'aan. The aide entered the Elder's chambers to see him sharpening his wrist blades, ones he had not used in years.

"You sent for me, Elder?"

Kh'alik looked up from his task, putting down the blades, and rose from his chair. "Yes. I believe that we must crack down further on those imbeciles in the launch bay. If not for their ineptitude, Kh'aan would not have escaped. I want all of them punished!"

Shl'nar shook his head and sighed, about to acquiesce to the Elder when an idea sprung to mind. "Elder Kh'alik, have you heard from the Arbitrator sent after Kh'aan?"

Kh'alik shook his head, turning to the viewport. "No, and it disturbs me greatly."

Shl'nar played his card. "Perhaps it would alleviate your unease if you were to send one whom you trusted to ensure that Kh'val was successful, and to report back to you regularly."

Kh'alik gave him a sideways glance. "Perhaps it would, Shl'nar, but who would you send if you trusted no one?" The aide paused in thought.

"I would send one whom I distrusted least, High Elder," he replied, knowing that he was about to get his wish.

The Elder nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I will expect reports from you daily."

Shl'nar feigned discomfort. "I was not suggesting that I go, Elder."

Kh'alik gave him a hard look. "Then you should not have made the suggestion."

Shl'nar gave an elaborate display of defeated acceptance. "It will take some time to prepare a transport. I should be underway by the morning…"

"No," the Elder interrupted, "you will take my ship and you will leave immediately." Kh'alik returned to his chair and resumed sharpening his ancient wrist blades. "Do not disappoint me, Shl'nar. Good aides are hard to find, and I would hate to lose one with your qualifications."

The aide nodded and exited the room. Once the door hissed shut he broke into a wide grin. _That could not have gone better if I'd planned it._ He went quickly to his chambers for a few items before rushing to the launch bay. Shl'nar knew that Kh'val would not appreciate the Elder sending someone to check his status, but he needed to throw the Arbitrator off Kh'aan's scent long enough to find the hunter himself. He also needed to make sure that the Elder's vessel contained a minimal and impressionable staff.

* * *

Hunter and soldier sat in deadlock for long moments. Kayla could not see past her training to address the creature and their current situation, and Kh'aan had no idea how else to convey to the human that he meant her no harm. After a few more minutes of staring the hunter slowly stood. The marine's eyes tracked him diligently as he backed away several paces and pointed to her.

"Stay here," he commanded, hoping that the words got through. When she did not move from under the counter he pointed to her again and to the center of the room, repeated the order to remain in the medical bay, and then backed out of the door.

As soon as the alien had left the room an uncontrollable shudder ran through Kayla's frame and she had to grit her teeth to keep from shaking to pieces. Her eyes darted around the room for a moment before she spied the viewport - there was no escape in space. She slowly crawled out from under the counter and walked to the center of the room. Clutching the surgical blade tightly, she stood and waited for the creature to return.

Kh'aan rushed back to the medical bay as quickly as possible. When the door hissed open he was surprised to see the female standing right where he had pointed. Her wide stance spoke of barely restrained aggression and the blade trembled in her tight fist. He stopped in the doorway awaiting her next move.

Every muscle in Kayla's body tensed when the door opened and admitted the alien hunter. She had been staring at the height where his head would be and so met his eyes directly when he entered. It took a moment for her gaze to travel down to notice that he carried a folded bit of material, a jug of liquid, and a plate holding what looked like bread. The marine's eyes immediately shot back up to meet the hunters, confusion in her gaze, and when he held the bundle out to her it was a struggle not to twitch. He nodded to the items and to her again, hoping that she understood what he was offering.

Kayla's mindset developed a crack as her gaze passed between the bundle and the alien. As though consciously willing herself to move, she backed several steps away from the creature before turning her back. She reached out and carefully placed the blade back on the tray where she found it and turned around to face the alien again. With cautious steps she walked forward, carefully reaching up with her arms outstretched to receive the bundle.

Kh'aan breathed in relief and slowly placed the items in her arms before backing away a step. The human looked from the bundle to his eyes and back down, and surprised him when she bowed her head.

"Thank you."

He nodded, thankful that she had accepted the gift, and once again pointed from her to the center of the room.

"Stay here." An afterthought occurred to him and he quickly added, "Please?"

The marine's eyes widened but she nodded and stepped back, watching until the door hissed shut behind the hunter. Once alone Kayla's façade crumbled and her body shook from the release of her tension. She looked down at the bundle and food and the idea took hold that this creature, no matter what it thought of her before, meant her no harm now. With trembling steps she walked to the counter and put down the bundle. The swatch of material was large and felt like soft leather. She looked down at her soaked clothes and realized that he had given her something dry to wear.

The marine shimmied out of her soaked pants and began to remove the uniform top when she remembered her wound. She looked down to see that it was gone and glanced up at the glass case with new appreciation. And internal debate began as she wrapped the large skin around her body under her arms, tucking it in front like a bath towel to keep her hands free. _A healing unit of some sort? Why would it heal an enemy? Does it want me healthy when it fights me again? Will it fight me again? _The questions surged in her mind until she once again spied the plate of bread. Her stomach growled its demand with authority and Kayla broke off a small piece, placing it on her tongue. The consistency was definitely bread-like, but it tasted more like dried bananas. Once certain that it was edible to humans the soldier devoured the bread so quickly that she nearly ate her fingers. Finished with the sustenance she tested the liquid in the jug. It had no scent but the taste was not quite water; more like seltzer without the fizz. Before she knew it the water was gone as well and she was back to square one – alone on a ship with an enemy.

The marine chuckled. _An enemy who healed, fed and clothed me – is that an enemy?_ She shuffled to the viewport and tried to make sense of the present, since the past left false impressions and the future suddenly looked very unsure. She was lost in her thoughts when the door to the bay hissed open.

* * *

Kh'aan headed to the control room to check on repairs. Though he studied the readouts and cursed the wreckage of the cooling unit, he also monitored internal sensors and the blip that indicated the human within the medical bay. He was confused by her actions, for although aggression was to be expected he did not anticipate the confusion in her eyes – aimed not at him or the situation, but in response to her own actions. It seemed that she was not in total control of what she was doing. To a seasoned hunter such reaction indicated heightened instincts, and his respect for the human increased. He was so focused on the sensor display that the repair system startled him when it beeped – the cooling unit was finally in working order. Kh'aan routed the remaining repair drones to the Masking Field Array and then rose to return to medical. The human had stopped pacing and was standing by the viewport, and he felt that now was a good time to talk.

* * *

Kayla spun into a combatant's crouch when the hunter entered the room. Kh'aan met her stance and the stalemate resumed for a moment before the human came back to herself. She stood slowly, her eyes never leaving Kh'aan's, and stepped to the side until she was not backed into a corner. The hunter took a step back as well, giving the female space to feel secure. Finally Kayla broke the silence.

"I take it you are not going to kill me." She said it with a finality that made Kh'aan smile. He shook his head.

"No." The hunter settled onto a low stool that had been tucked under the counter. "Our fight over."

Kayla absorbed his words, nodding unconsciously while she processed the situation. "Truce, I see." She sank to the floor against the wall opposite Kh'aan and bent her knees up under her chin. From this vantage she almost felt like a child talking to a father-figure, but attributed the sensation to the difference in their size.

"I don't know what to say," she stated after a long pause. "I have never been involved in a truce before; loss or win, yes…truce, no." The hunter nodded in understanding. Kayla sat up straight and placed a hand against her chest.

"My name is Kayla. What is yours?"

Kh'aan inclined his head and mirrored her greeting. "Am Kh'aan."

Kayla lowered her hand back her knee, where she could keep it occupied in a death grip rather than shaking uncontrollably. She glanced around the room before meeting his gaze again. "Do you know what happened?"

The hunter had been waiting for this question but knew only pieces of the answer, pieces he was not ready to talk about. "Not know all," he answered. Kayla nodded, her eyes far away as she tried to remember.

"My last clear memory is singing that annoying song in French." She smiled when the hunter chuckled. "After that my mind grows fuzzy. I recall seeing an image of a ship approaching the planet. Do you remember that?"

Kh'aan thought back and then shook his head. He figured that he must have been unconscious for most of what she was about to say. He watched as the female – _Kayla, she has a name_ – smiled at something that she remembered.

"That's not surprising, considering that we were both frozen. I guess you won't remember any of this, then." Kayla looked away, delving into her memory. "After that I remember seeing light and shadows on the wall of the cave. I remember being slightly less frozen and then completely cold." Her gaze returned to his eyes and Kh'aan knew what she would say next. "They rescued you and left me to die didn't they?"

Kh'aan looked away, embarrassed at the behavior of his clan. He nodded without looking at her. Kayla had assumed as much, but she noted that the hunter was uncomfortable admitting it.

"There is no need to be ashamed; I could not have expected anything else. Your people don't like mine, do they? It's a natural reaction." She sighed and lowered her eyes. "My people would have done much worse."

His curiosity at that remark made him speak. "What would do?"

Kayla looked up, having been lost in that very answer. Her eyes darkened. "They would have captured you, taken you to a laboratory, and kept you alive for tests, torture and dissection. Being left to die seems better than being a lab rat." She noted the astonishment in the hunter's eyes and nodded ominously. "They'd probably do the same to me too, if I wasn't executed for some trumped up charge to keep me from protesting the inhumane treatment."

Kh'aan was shocked by the female's admission. He knew that humans were curious and devious to a fault, but he had never really believed that they could be as cruel and dishonorable as she implied. A few hunters told tales of humans trying to capture them using questionable methods, but he had always attributed them to embellishment for honor. If what she said was true, humans were even more dangerous than his people realized.

Kayla was not surprised by his reaction. Her species was crafty as she well knew – wolves in sheep's clothing – and many life forms only found this out when it was too late to save themselves. A cramp in her leg made her stand, and Kh'aan noticed the thermal skin around the female. He stood as well and gathered her garments. Kayla watched him suspiciously wondering what he was doing with her clothes, until he stepped to the door and motioned for her to follow. Kayla gathered the fabric around her body in her hands. The skin dragged well past her feet and she needed both hands to hold it up as she followed the hunter out of the medical bay. Though still uncertain about this new "friend", Kayla marveled at the abrupt change that must have occurred while she had been incapacitated. She could not forget their fierce battle on Jurnada and wondered what had happened to make him come back for her.

Kh'aan led her down the access stairs to engineering and then followed a winding path through the innards of the ship. Several times they had to duck as robotic arms moved overhead making repairs. He paused at a juncture when the female spoke.

"What happened here?"

He looked around at the destruction and then turned a weary gaze to Kayla. His eyes met hers and she could tell right away that he was upset by the mess.

"A long story?" When Kh'aan nodded she grimaced. "I'd hate to see what you did to the other guy."

Kh'aan couldn't help but chuckle at her statement and was impressed with her powers of observation; anything could have caused such destruction but she immediately assumed it was a fight. "Will tell later. Long story."

Kayla nodded and resumed following him down the lane. The temperature rose drastically as they approached a set of glowing coils. The hunter draped her garments over a pipe beneath the coils and they immediately began to steam from the heat. Kh'aan turned and pointed to the clothes.

"Know here." Kayla nodded, acknowledging that she knew where to find them later.

She followed the hunter back up to the main deck and began to notice the effort he placed into his steps. She studied her new companion closely, and by the slump of his shoulders and droop of his mandibles she deduced that he was exhausted. When they returned to the medical bay she placed a hesitant hand on his arm. Kh'aan turned at the touch and she yanked her hand back.

"You seem very tired," she commented. When he nodded she continued. "If you want me to stay in here while you rest, I will." As an afterthought she added, "I promise I won't touch anything."

Kh'aan had been trying to ignore his intense fatigue, but when the human noticed it so readily he knew that he needed to sleep before he collapsed. His instincts told him not to trust her unattended just yet, but she seemed concerned and had given him her oath that she would not disrupt his ship. He thought for a moment and then met her eyes.

"Stay here?"

Kayla nodded. "Yes, you have my word."

Kh'aan nodded to her, thankful for the reprieve, and shuffled out of the medical bay. He blindly walked down the corridor to his chambers, not noticing the human slipping out of the bay behind him. Kayla watched the hunter enter a room at the end of the corridor and collapse face first onto a pallet before the door hissed shut. She glanced up and down the corridor and enjoyed a moment of awe before dashing back into the bay.

_What a tangled web we weave,_ she thought, some of her usual humor returning. _If someone had told me a week ago that I'd be shacked up on a strange ship with a strange alien who had tried to kill me, I'd have laughed out loud. And now here I am, befriending said alien who saved me from death, fed me banana bread, and is doing my laundry. _The image of those clawed hands pulling the alien – _Kh'aan, he has a name_ – away from her in the cave flooded her brain, and she made a mental note to thank him profusely for coming back when he woke up. So far this new alliance seemed viable, and having no where else to go Kayla was determined to keep it that way. _Besides, if nothing else I __do__ want to hear the long story._ The displaced marine pulled the short stool over to the viewport, perched on the counter with her feet on the stool, and dozed off gazing at passing stars.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 10: Tactics_

The sleek black vessel raced at top speed to the coordinates of the Arbitrator's ship. Shl'nar had wasted no time tracking Kh'val and was intent to rendezvous before he changed locations. The aide had no idea why the blip on his scanner had not moved in more than 6 hours and did not want his luck to give out. Before leaving the clan ship Shl'nar had reduced the Elder's staff to a skeleton crew, consisting of two engineering techs, one pilot and the ancient healer Mr'aal. He had not had a chance to speak privately with the healer, but intended to once Kh'val had been dealt with. Mr'aal was a mystery Shl'nar was intent to unravel, and he thought it best to keep the old healer close on this adventure.

He was about to leave command for the medical bay when long range sensors detected an emissions trail leading away from Kh'val's position. Shl'nar studied the readings, and from the chemical make-up knew right away that it was from Kh'aan's ship – a vapor trail from his Masking Field. Shl'nar shook his head and laughed at the coincidence. He had assisted the Firstborn with that installation, sworn to secrecy under penalty of Kh'aan's wrath. Only Shl'nar, Kh'aan and the field's designer could know what such a strange collection of vapors came from, and though Kh'val could detect the trail he would not be certain of its origin. The aide quickly recorded the trajectory in his personal database before erasing the data from the memory stores. _Kh'aan may have forgotten as I did, but he will still kill me if anyone else finds out. _A plan began to form as Shl'nar left the command deck. It would take quite a bit of finesse on his part, but the aide was up to the challenge.

Upon entering the medical bay Shl'nar was surprised to find the healer not sleeping, but intently studying a star chart. When the aide cleared his throat Mr'aal quickly closed the data readout.

"Y…yes, honored warrior! What is it that I can do for you?" The ancient healer seemed particularly flustered and Shl'nar saw his opportunity.

"My previous reason for coming is now moot, Mr'aal." Shl'nar sat on the examination platform and motioned the healer to his chair. "We must have a talk."

Mr'aal had felt his first twinge of fear in nearly a generation when the door to the bay had hissed open. He had been studying the systems surrounding the ice planet in an effort to find a suitable hiding place for the Firstborn, if he had the opportunity to speak to the lost hunter. For the Elder to find out of this would bring grave consequences. The ancient healer eased into his seat and tried to hide his anxiety.

"What is it you wish to speak of?"

Shl'nar debated exactly how much to tell the old healer. For the moment he thought it might be best to simply gain the ally; later they could discuss the particulars of such an allegiance. "I am certain that you know, healer. I saw the knowledge in your eyes on the day that Kh'aan escaped. It has something to do with the star charts you were just studying, doesn't it?"

Mr'aal remained silent for several minutes. To reveal his activities would incriminate him to the Council, but the old healer was unsure if Shl'nar would even report him. It was not in Shl'nar's nature to be manipulative or deceitful in any way, but Mr'aal was nearly positive that the aide had intimate knowledge of what had happened with the elder's Firstborn. Finally he shrugged with a defeated huff.

"Very well." Mr'aal brought up the star system readout. "This is the ice planet. These surrounding planets are uninhabitable, but the Firstborn will need somewhere to hide with his new…friend…and so I was searching the surrounding star systems for a planet with breathable atmosphere for them both. If we find them," Mr'aal gave the aide a knowing look, "this information might save them some time." The old healer sat back down in his chair and did not meet Shl'nar's eyes. "Unless I am mistaken, honored warrior, and we are simply checking on the status of the Arbitrator."

Shl'nar released the breath he had been holding, pleased that his intuition about the ancient healer was impeccable. He stood from the platform and approached the healer, his tone gravely serious.

"I should know better than to try to hide something this important from one as experienced as you. You have made no mistake yet, Mr'aal, but should Kh'alik discover our true mission here, aiding me might well be your downfall." He placed a hand on the healers shoulder before heading to the door.

"I should not be surprised that you saw through my ruse, Mr'aal. I am new to this, after all." Shl'nar shook his head. "My only concern is if anyone else did."

"Oh no, of the few on board none are aware of your intentions. I am only surprised that you have freely shared them with me."

Shl'nar stopped in the doorway. "I have no choice. It seems that you share my anxiety regarding this situation, and I fear that before this is over Kh'aan and the human will need our assistance." He was about to leave when another thought occurred to him. "Healer, when I contact Elder Kh'alik in a few hours I would like for you to be there with me. It would seem much more…_validating_ if I gave my report with another of the Elder's trusted in attendance to prove that I do not lie."

Mr'aal chuckled lightly at the insinuation and nodded. "It would be my honor."

########

Kh'val growled and slammed down the cover panel to the navigation sensors. The past several hours had destroyed what little patience the Arbitrator had left, and with half of the vessel's systems still off line he was ready to throttle someone. Recalibration of the sensors had improved directional guidance, but they were still incapable of course plotting or tracking. He managed to repair the cooling system before his food stores were rendered inedible, but a breach in the conduit had bathed the engineering deck in coolant that was nearly impossible to clean up once congealed. The environmental controls had been the least difficult to repair, but he could taste a contaminant in the air that he did not have time to filter. And on top of everything else the automatic repair system had been completely destroyed by an overload explosion, and so he continued to make repairs manually. Kh'val's aggravation served to increase the hatred growing within him towards his 'human-loving' brother, and he worked without rest in order to resume the hunt.

The Arbitrator was waist-deep under the command console when the proximity alarm sounded. He banged his head crawling out of the wiring and all but pounded the console to dust in order to shut off the alarm. His faulty external sensors detected a large ship nearly on top of him and Kh'val scrambled to a viewport to see Elder Kh'alik's vessel landing several meters from his current position. The Arbitrator swore as he made a quick sweep of the chaos on his ship, hiding anything that the Elder may deem "inappropriate", including a particular skull from his collection and several unorthodox weapons. He had just stashed the items under the deck plating when the external hatch opened – admitting not Elder Kh'alik but his aide, Shl'nar. Kh'val's unease increased.

"Shl'nar. This is unexpected."

"I am not surprised," the aide replied smugly. "Elder Kh'alik has sent numerous transmissions, but now I see why you have not responded." He looked around at the varying degrees of destruction. "I would assume that you have encountered some problems?"

Kh'val clenched a fist behind his back. "Your powers of observation are keen, honored warrior. I have had a setback that I am currently attending to."

Shl'nar struggled to appear indifferent and commanding. The amount of damage to the Arbitrator's ship gave him hope for Kh'aan's chances. "What was the cause of this, Arbitrator?"

Kh'val growled. "The High Elder's Firstborn." His fury prevented him from mentioning Kh'aan's name. He noted that the aide seemed less than surprised.

"Truly?" Shl'nar asked, hoping to sound incredulous. "Kh'aan is many things but I find it hard to believe that he would attack anyone unprovoked. As it is his ship is simply a modified scout vessel. It is not equipped with weapons." He was not prepared for the grating snarl from the Arbitrator.

"Considering that you were not here when he rammed my ship with his own, I would not expect you to believe me. Thankfully your opinion means little." He smiled inwardly when the aide bristled at that remark. "Why are you here?"

Shl'nar reigned in his anger and returned to the task at hand. "As I said, Elder Kh'alik has sent several transmissions and having received no response has sent me to ascertain your status and report back to him." _Even if you despise me, Arbitrator, you would not dare to cross your sire._

Kh'val could not hide his rage any longer and roared in Shl'nar's face. "You dare to accuse me of not tending to my duties? **I **am an Arbitrator, third-born to the High Elder and you will show me the respect my status deserves."

The aide stood his ground until Kh'val backed down from his tantrum. "It is not I who questions you, Arbitrator. I simply follow the orders of the High Elder. Should you have an issue with my assignment here, I suggest you use our communicator to contact him yourself." Shl'nar's chest ached from holding in his laughter – Kh'val's eyes were nearly bulging from their sockets. The Arbitrator turned away for a moment and the aide took the opportunity to cough in an attempt to relieve the pressure. It still sounded like a chuckle.

Kh'val waited until his fists were no longer shaking before turning back to Shl'nar. "You may inform him that I will contact him when I have Kh'aan in my custody." He turned his back on the aide to indicate that the discussion was over, but to no end.

"Very well. Inform me when you are ready to depart; we are under orders to follow you." Kh'val spun around, his eyes alight with contempt.

"Elder Kh'alik _ordered_ you to follow me? Why do I find that hard to believe?" He paused to consider his options. "If the Elder is in such a hurry to find his Firstborn, it seems only prudent that you assist me with repairs so that I can get under way."

Shl'nar had not expected this and knew that he could not refuse the Arbitrator without raising the suspicions of the High Elder. He nodded assent. "We are running with a reduced crew, but I will send one of the two technicians..."

"Send them both." Without waiting for a response Kh'val disappeared down through an access hatch to the lower level.

Shl'nar turned on his heel and walked back through the docking hatch to his ship, cursing the unforeseen delay in his plan. He called for the technicians and instructed them to take their time and be thorough. Once certain that Kh'val would remain occupied for some time he headed for the medical bay. Mr'aal was waiting for him.

"Well, has he found them?" The ancient healer's concern was tangible now that he was free to express it.

"We have bigger problems. We must remain here until Kh'val's ship is repaired."

Mr'aal shook his head in confusion. "Why? How badly is it damaged?"

"It is not the damage," Shl'nar explained. "It is Kh'val. He insists that our technicians assist him with the repairs since his automated drones are not functioning." The aide shook his head in defeat. "I did not anticipate this; it may ruin everything."

The healer turned to the counter and fiddled with several instruments, deep in thought. "But no word of the Firstborn, yes?"

"No." Shl'nar wondered what the healer was thinking. "Only that Kh'aan caused the damage to his ship by ramming it."

Mr'aal nodded more than necessary, deep in thought. "Yes, this is good." The old healer turned abruptly and crossed the room in three strides. "Assist him in any way we can. Gain his trust. This is very good!"

Shl'nar's earlier idea returned to him, its pieces coming together. "I have no doubt that he will insist that the Elder order us to return, which will free us to…"

He abruptly spun and ran to the command deck. It took three frantic attempts before he was able to input his pass code correctly, and the aide downloaded the sensor log containing Kh'aan's trail. He rushed back to the confused healer and brought up the log on his screen.

"Kh'val was furious when I told him that the High Elder had ordered us to follow him."

Mr'aal eyed him strangely. "The High Elder gave such a command?"

Shl'nar grunted while adjusting the display. "Not exactly; I provided him with the idea. The important thing is that Kh'val will take that as a strike against his honor and demand that our orders be rescinded. Elder Kh'alik will acquiesce of course, which will free us to take an 'unavoidable' detour on our route back to the clan ship."

"A detour? I do not understand." The ancient healer watched Shl'nar in confusion before gesturing to the display. "And this?"

Shl'nar grinned proudly. "This is our detour – Kh'aan's trail." The healer leaned forward intently, observing the winding track of chemical gas before shaking his head.

"All I see are a few wisps of vapor."

"That vapor is from a device on Kh'aan's ship." Shl'nar suddenly clamped his mouth shut and then sighed. "And now that I have told you he will kill me."

Mr'aal opened his mouth to ask another question when a communication alert sounded. Shl'nar brought up the comm. system in medical and saw a message from the High Elder. Exchanging glances with Mr'aal, he collected his thoughts and opened the frequency.

"I was just about to contact you with my report, High Elder."

########

Four hours later the exhausted techs returned to the Elder's vessel as quickly as they could. Kh'val had been relentless ordering them about, and the apprentice suffered a fractured mandible as a result. Shl'nar received their report and gave both time to rest and see Mr'aal before crossing through the docking hatch himself. He found the Arbitrator in his command chair running diagnostics.

"Is everything repaired to your specifications, Arbitrator?" Kh'val jumped in his chair, not having heard the aide enter.

"Do NOT sneak around on my ship, Shl'nar. The High Elder will not save you if you startle me again." The Arbitrator growled before continuing. "Most systems are at 80% efficiency, which will suffice to resume the hunt. I _thank_ you for your assistance." Kh'val's skin crawled at the thought of thanking the pesky aide for anything. "I need only complete final alignment calibrations on the sensor grid and we will be ready to depart." He hid a smile; the Arbitrator had no intention of keeping this pest on his heels.

"Excellent. I spoke with Elder Kh'alik two hours ago and he is anxious to speak with you." Shl'nar hoped to entice the Arbitrator to demand the aide's reassignment, but it meant making him angry again. "I can only imagine how he must be feeling, knowing that his Firstborn has abandoned his birthright for an ooman."

Kh'val bristled but his eyes remained fixed on the sensors. "It was his mistake. He will regret it."

Shl'nar tried again. "What do you suppose will happen now? The High Elder will have to name a new heir, and your next sibling is not even blooded yet." He glanced away while noting Kh'val's death-grip on the console. "Perhaps some concessions can be made. Kh'aan is, after all, Firstborn. It is he who must take the Elder's place." He was satisfied to hear a growl from Kh'val.

"Kh…the **Firstborn** will never be High Elder," the Arbitrator ground out between clenched teeth. "He is a disgrace and his dishonor will be remembered for generations."

Shl'nar shook his head and turned to leave. "I suppose you are right. I must prepare our ship. Inform me when you are ready to depart." The aide slipped out of command, leaving a snarling Arbitrator in his wake.

Kh'val activated communications as soon as Shl'nar left. He refused to allow such a waste of a sniveling hunter slow him down on this mission. If Elder Kh'alik did not see reason and order them to return to the clan ship, the Arbitrator had other ways to eliminate such a pesky shadow.

########

Far away on a dead moon, two fugitives roused themselves from slumber. Kh'aan rolled over to his back on his sleeping platform, stretching his mandibles wide in a yawn that came out as a growl. He felt thoroughly rested after nearly eight hours of sleep and after rising from his furs made a quick trip to the bathing room before checking on the human. The hunter was thankful that his sleep had been dreamless; any dreams involving the human might have cracked his resolve to see this escape through to the end. He knew that dealing with her would be trying enough, and adding his brother to the mix just made his head hurt.

Kh'aan entered the bay to see Kayla seated on the counter with her feet propped on the stool. She seemed asleep but when the hunter moved closer her eyes shot open and she leapt from the counter to dash across the room. The female stopped abruptly in mid-step and turned around to face him.

"Sorry. You startled me." Kayla looked away from the hunter while stretching and cracking the kinks from her spine. She heard similar sounds from across the room and glanced back to see him imitating her movements. The sight made her smile a little. "Did you sleep well?"

Kh'aan was surprised how much better his back felt after mimicking the twisting that she was doing. He made a mental note to try them whenever he awoke and then stepped forward, his proximity halting the human's movements.

"Sleep well. Must go."

Kayla looked up at him in confusion. "Go? Where are we going?" She saw a look of unease cross Kh'aan's features before his expression hardened.

"Away from Kh'val." The hunter paused trying to remember the human equivalent of an Arbitrator. "Police."

Kayla realized the severity of their situation when their eyes met – his blazed a deep orange-red. "We're in trouble, aren't we?" The look he gave her as they left the medical bay confirmed her suspicions and the hunter growled.

"Yes."

########

{Greetings! Sorry for the delay…Turkey Day and all takes the oomph out of inspiration, and birthday madness almost made this chapter a farce. But not to fret! Came through just in the nick! Enjoy!}


	11. Chapter 11

**Is a disclaimer really necessary? Fine…one time only: **I own nothing except my characters, not the creatures, culture, or idea that giant aliens come to the human meat market once in a while for a blue light special. - Captain Hortense Farmidgeon Razz  
**

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 11: Decisions_

Kayla sat quietly behind the hunter while he finalized the last repairs to his ship. He seemed to be extremely frustrated by an indicator, repeatedly tapping it only to snarl at the continued blinking.

"What's wrong?"

Kh'aan growled but said nothing.

"Can I help?" She knew it was ridiculous to suggest but felt bad sitting there doing nothing. She was not ready for the glare he sent in her direction, accompanied by another low growl. Kayla stood from the drop-down seat against the wall and raised her hands in the air.

"Ok, I'll just get out of the way." Kh'aan said nothing as she left the control room and Kayla shook her head. _And how do you get Sergeant, when you're pissed off and someone asks to help?_ The marine walked the short distance to the central junction of the corridor and stopped abruptly. An acrid smell rose up from the access stairs and made her eyes water, and in a flash she remembered.

"My clothes!"

Kayla hiked up the thermal skin with no thought to decency and raced down the stairs. She did not see any smoke but the smell was stronger, and she nearly got lost in the labyrinth of the engineering deck before skidding around a corner into a cloud of gray. She covered her mouth and nose with the skin and tentatively stepped into the smoke; not far in front of her she saw the glowing coils and the smoldering wreckage of her heavy coat.

"Damn."

The marine spied a short pipe leaning against a conduit and used it to knock her garments off of their perch and drag them across the floor out of the smoke. Once in cleaner air she inspected the damages. The coat was destroyed; the heat had slowly burned through the many layers of insulation rendering the garment useless, and she balled it up to throw away. Underneath the mess she was thankful to see only a small burn hole in her fatigues, a charred bit of material on her uniform shirt, and no damage at all to the tank top.

"Thank goodness for small favors," she sighed.

Gathering the clothes and carrying the coat on the end of the pipe like a roasting marshmallow, Kayla made her way back to the access stairs and headed up to the medical bay. She dressed quickly in the sooty-smelling clothes, made a mental note to ask the hunter where she could throw away the coat, and then headed back out into the corridor. A loud snarl echoed down to her from the control room, so instead of returning she crossed the juncture and went down the short hall to another door, similar to the medical bay but decorated with carvings on the surface. It did not appear to have an access panel, and she stepped up to it wondering how to get inside when the door swished open.

The marine crossed the threshold and stopped in her tracks. The room was empty and seemed to have no purpose, but the outer wall was not a wall at all – it was an enormous domed window looking out into space. Kayla slowly walked forward, mesmerized, and leaned her forehead against the dome, looking down to see that Kh'aan had taken off and the small moon was already shrinking into the distance.

"A person could find serenity with a view like this," she breathed. She turned the rest of her body around while keeping her head against the dome, resulting in looking at the stars above the ship rather than below. An odd feeling of vertigo fluttered through her stomach before she grew accustomed to the angle and strange view. Without thinking she began some deep breathing exercises and had achieved a comfortably Zen-like state when the door to the room opened.

########

Kh'aan could not contain his frustration at the malfunctioning Masking Field. The damage was entirely his fault for ramming his brother, and he knew that the gods laughed heartily at the irony. The hunter finally gave up and after making sure Kh'val was not in the vicinity, took off and set the auto-pilot on a course for the nearest known human settlement – a two-week journey. He was unsure if his new companion would want to remain on board or return to her own kind but decided to plot the course anyway just in case. Once all systems were set he was left with the daunting task of explaining the situation to Kayla, and his stunted skills with the human language guaranteed a headache when he was through.

A strange odor stopped Kh'aan in the central junction. As he looked around for the source he noticed that the light over the door to the kehrite was blinking indicating that it was occupied. He entered the room to see that the female had retrieved her garments and was now leaning oddly against the observation dome. Her feet were firmly planted on the floor, her arms dangled at her sides and her back was arched at what appeared to him like a very uncomfortable angle – the entire position held firm by her head against the dome. The hunter studied her intently for several moments, noting her resting temperature and the steady sound of her breathing. _This ooman and her strange exercises. And why is the smell coming from her garments? _After standing quietly with no acknowledgment Kh'aan stepped over to her side, first following her gaze up through the dome and then leaning forward to block her view.

The marine had lost all concept of her surroundings as she watched space zip by the window, and so when a large alien face suddenly invaded her line of sight she yelped and lost her balance, her feet sliding forward as she skidded down the window to the floor. She heard the hunter chuckle above her and reached forward to poke him in the knee.

"Don't do that please," she asked, trying to keep the surprise from her voice. "I am a trained marine, you know. I might hurt you by accident if you keep sneaking up on me." She looked up into eyes full of what looked like mirth, and grasped the hand held out to her.

Kh'aan pulled the human to her feet. "Would you challenge?" He snorted a laugh when she paled before glaring at him.

"Challenge you? Right. I nearly kicked your butt once. Don't make me do it again!" The thought was both disturbing and exhilarating and Kayla chuckled along with him while shaking her head. "This is going to be a long trip."

Kh'aan nodded and motioned her to the center of the room. Kayla wondered what he was up to when the hunter dropped to his knees on the floor, his back straight, eyes closed and feet crossed behind him at the ankles. She studied the position while he opened one eye to peer at her, and then eased down beside him in the same manner. Once steady the marine closed her eyes as well, noting that there was a similar posture in ancient yoga practices.

"It's funny," she mentioned after an extended silence, "that our two cultures have similar meditation techniques." She heard the hunter grunt an affirmative and resumed her silence.

Kh'aan was pleased that she had almost immediately grasped the concept of what he was doing, and once she had lapsed into silence again he spoke.

"Time. Long story."

########

Shl'nar entered the command deck of the Elder's vessel just in time for an incoming message. The aide quickly sat in the command chair and activated the comm. only to come face to face with both Elder Kh'alik and Kh'val. Apparently the Arbitrator was not wasting time in voicing his displeasure at being assigned a shadow.

"Elder, Arbitrator. How may I help you both?" His good manners were cut off by a snarl from Kh'val, who was silenced by the Elder.

"Enough of this nonsense, Kh'val. What is the problem?" Kh'alik appeared to have been awakened by the Arbitrator's summons.

"High Elder, I insist that Shl'nar return to the clan ship immediately. I can not be responsible for watching him as well as searching for your Fir...for Kh'aan." The Arbitrator tried to keep his expression neutral even as his insides churned from mentioning his brother's name.

"You insist?" Kh'alik frowned. "It is not your place to make demands of the High Elder. Why is there an issue with my sending him to join you?"

Kh'val could not hide his indignation. "I do not require a keeper like some wayward pup. Shl'nar is not prepared for this hunt and he will only slow me down."

Shl'nar kept quiet, preferring to remain a bystander unless called upon. He dug his claws into his thigh to quell his amusement at the degree of annoyance etched into the Elder's features.

"Kh'val, I only sent Shl'nar because I had not received word from you."

"Now that you have I expect that you will instruct him to return to the clan ship with your vessel, High Elder.

Kh'alik swore and clenched a fist under the console in his chambers. He had thought that sending Kh'val would be the best choice, but between the Arbitrator's demeanor and the rumors circulating through the clan, the Elder was beginning to believe that he'd made a mistake.

"Very well, Kh'val. This conversation is wasting time as it is. You will inform Shl'nar when you are underway and he will report to me before returning." The Arbitrator nodded and both parties saw him reach forward to end the transmission.

"Thank you, High Elder. Your wisdom, as always, is infallible." He cut communication quickly, leaving Shl'nar facing only Kh'alik. He was about to nod and end the transmission as well when the Elder spoke.

"Shl'nar, you will continue to follow Kh'val." His tone of voice left no room for argument. The aide was confused but hopeful.

"But Elder, you gave him your word that I…"

"I told him what he wanted to hear. The fact of the matter is that I wish you to keep an eye on him – to insure that he returns Kh'aan to me **unharmed**."

Shl'nar was surprised; the High Elder, questioning the actions of both of his most revered offspring? "You believe that he may harm Kh'aan against your wishes?"

"I believe," the Elder growled, "that he requires watching. That is all, Shl'nar. I will expect your next report this time tomorrow."

The aide knew when to keep his mouth shut, and nodded to Kh'alik before cutting communication. He instructed the pilot to inform him when Kh'val was ready to depart and left to speak to Mr'aal.

The ancient healer was intently studying a screen when he entered the medical bay. Shl'nar quietly announced his presence so that he would not startle the healer again, and Mr'aal turned abruptly.

"Kh'val did quite a bit of damage to our technicians. Sin'kaj's mandible will not heal for some time." Shl'nar nodded and stepped forward, peering at what he was working on. "Oh this? I have composed a believable speech for you when you present the Arbitrator with Kh'aan's 'trajectory'." The healer chuckled and bowed his head. "Not to say that you would not be able to tell him yourself, but it is difficult to lie convincingly and make up the words at the same time."

Shl'nar tapped his right mandibles together in thought. "Thank you, Mr'aal. I have nearly finished the sensor logs, and the High Elder instructed him to inform us before he departs. I will tell him of our 'find' then." The aide stepped back and approached another console, bringing up the false sensor readings. After a few more adjustments they were ready and he uploaded the data to the relay so that he could forward them directly to the Arbitrator. Almost on cute the pilot called.

"_Kh'val is preparing to depart_."

Shl'nar nodded to Mr'aal and hurried to the command deck. He quickly contacted the Arbitrator and, amidst an elaborate show of reticence and humble servitude, divulged their discovery of Kh'aan's 'trail'. Kh'val accepted the upload with a snarl and a nod and cut the transmission, increasing Shl'nar's hope for success. He watched through the forward viewport as the Arbitrator lifted off and headed on his way, albeit in the wrong direction. Once certain that Kh'val would not suspect their departure vector, Shl'nar nodded to the pilot and uploaded Kh'aan's trail back into the sensor logs. Before long they had left the moon behind and the aide went to the medical bay to discuss the next step with Mr'aal.

"Are we certain that he was deceived?" The old healer inquired as Shl'nar entered the bay. "He could be fooling us by pretending to take our word and then doubling back."

Shl'nar grunted a laugh at the possibility while moving to look out of the small viewport. "No. Kh'val is many things but intuitive is not one of them. His obsession with finding Kh'aan blocks out all other logic; it will be some time before he realizes his mistake, and by then we will hopefully have found the lost hunter."

Mr'aal nodded, easing slowly into his chair. Shl'nar studied the healer and realized with regret that he had been pushing the old one too hard. Mr'aal's color was paler than usual and his mandibles drooped from fatigue. The aide stood and walked to the door.

"Forgive me, Mr'aal. I have kept you busier than you are used to and you are exhausted. Rest now and we will discuss this later."

The healer looked as if he would protest until a large yawn forced its way from him. Nodding in acceptance, Mr'aal shifted his position slightly and immediately fell asleep. Shl'nar quietly left the medical bay and returned to command to oversee the pursuit. _Mr'aal is older than all of us put together. The last thing that I need is for my single ally to expire from over-exertion. Perhaps I should not have brought him along. _

########

Kayla listened intently as the hunter recounted events from the time of their separation on the frozen moon. She was shocked that he would go to such trouble – no human would risk so much for an enemy, even in the name of honor.

"What will they do to you if they find us?" For some reason this disturbed her more than her own fate.

Kh'aan glanced over at the human, surprised at her concern. "Kill or execute."

Kayla opened both eyes and stared at him. "What do you mean? What is the difference?" The hunter paused, collecting his words.

"Arbitrator kill on sight, or take to council…trial…execute."

Kayla frowned. "Depending on whether they want to gloat or not, I suspect." When Kh'aan looked confused she explained. "Gloating is, well, showing off...not for praise, exactly, but to humiliate the loser."

Kh'aan nodded. "Kh'val will…gloot."

Kayla hid her amusement when he said what sounded like 'glue', instead remembering that this hunter sacrificed his entire existence to save her life. Suddenly it seemed imperative to address this immediately. The marine stood and stepped directly in front of Kh'aan before lowering to her knees again.

"I owe you my life. You have sacrificed everything for a complete stranger…an enemy. I don't know how to repay a debt like that, but I am honor-bound to try." She bowed her head slightly before meeting the hunter's eyes again.

Kh'aan's respect for her grew. It took much for a proud warrior to admit to a life-debt and she did not hesitate to accept the responsibility. The hunter had already come to terms with his actions, though, and said as much.

"No debt. Life for life." Kayla's expression remained dubious and he explained further. "Pull from snow. Keep warm. Life for life." The hunter was not prepared for the strange heat that arose under her skin as she looked away.

"Oh yes…that." Kayla could not stop the blush from creeping into her cheeks as she remembered how tightly packed they had been in the cave. She clenched a fist to hide her nervousness and hopped to her feet. "Well, that's water under the bridge. We were both half-dead so who's to say what happened. That doesn't count."

Kh'aan chuffed under his breath and insisted. "Does count."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Does," the hunter snarled, and Kayla spun around to see him rising to his feet. His imposing figure terrified the human but challenged the marine, and as he moved toward her she was torn between the urge to cower and the itch to fight. Kh'aan watched her demeanor change and wondered if she would truly spar with him if he challenged her. He stepped forward until they were arms distance apart and rolled his shoulders and neck while watching the female intently.

Kayla's adrenaline suddenly spiked when he stepped closer. His subtle movements screamed 'battle' to her senses, and after a moment considering the almost guaranteed beating his huge frame would give her she shrugged, stretching her arms overhead before dropping into a crouch. A strange purring growl rumbled through the hunter and she swore he was smiling as he met her stance. She grinned right back at him and cracked her knuckles.

"No," she growled with finality, "it doesn't."

Kh'aan purred in anticipation of sparring with the soldier. That it would be a friendly competition (he hoped) made the challenge that much sweeter, and he flexed his fingers as they circled each other. Kayla crept to the side on the balls of her feet, her legs bent as though ready to spring forward and both arms poised at her sides. Kh'aan made the first move, lunging towards her while swinging a massive arm tipped with razor-sharp claws at her head. Kayla ducked into a roll under the movement, spinning in a crouch to sweep his feet out from under him. Kh'aan fell to his back but immediately flipped upright; Kayla had seen that move before and was impressed that he had mastered it. Her appreciation was short-lived as he spun to her with a massive fist aimed at her skull. Once again the marine ducked, but instead of dodging out of the way she braced all of her weight on her left side, lifting her right leg to connect a kick with Kh'aan's stomach. The hunter stumbled back as the air was momentarily pushed from his lungs, and it was his turn to dodge when the human leapt from her crouch into a high back flip, her heel nearly connecting with his face.

Kayla landed on all fours and gazed up at the hunter with an evil grin. "Is this really necessary?" She asked, charging forward. Kh'aan turned to the side to dodge her attack but caught her shoulder in his stomach and was knocked backwards a step. The human dove through the impact into a forward roll and sprung up several feet away. She turned quickly but not fast enough to avoid a clothesline from the hunter that crashed into her sternum and knocked her flat. Winded, she gazed up through a haze to see a foot descending toward her face. Kayla rolled quickly toward rather than away from Kh'aan, grasping his ankle as she passed and pulling it with her. His displaced balance from attempting to stomp on her caused him to tip forward when she pulled at his leg and he collapsed face-first on the floor.

Kh'aan heard the female laughing as she scrambled away. Though sparring was a serious test of skill and necessary for any warrior to maintain their abilities, she truly seemed to be enjoying it. He quickly rose to his feet and faced her, noting the large grin spread across her features.

"Come on," she taunted, bouncing on her toes, "you can do better than that!" The marine tensed as Kh'aan charged. She moved to dodge to the side but was unprepared when the hunter snared her around the waist, lifted her above his head and forcefully slammed her to the floor. At that moment she noticed and was thankful for the slight padding that cushioned her skull, though it did not prevent the stars that blinded her as her body screamed in agony from the impact. Kh'aan stood over her, a sneer twisting his mandibles. She blinked several times and growled at him.

"Now you're gloating."

Kh'aan was about to chuckle at her observation when Kayla's foot rose into his view. She had levered up into a handstand to kick him in the face, knocking him back a few paces and giving her room to resume her stance. The hunter shook his head to dissipate the sting in his lower mandibles and roared at her. Kayla winced from the sound but swung a vicious upper-cut into his lower jaw. The impact barely fazed him as Kh'aan brought his left arm around to backhand the soldier into the wall. Kayla scrambled to her feet, dazed but functional, and charged forward. Kh'aan raised an arm to swing at her but missed entirely as the female dove forward into a handspring, her feet following the motion and colliding squarely with his chest. The impact lifted Kh'aan off of his feet a few inches and threw him to the floor in a heap. He saw Kayla's feet descending as she completed the flip and grasped them inches from his chest, tipping her forward to crash into the wall behind him. Kayla stumbled back a few steps before dropping on her butt. Her head spun and several Kh'aans grinned their strange smile at her before she fell back and blacked out.

Kh'aan roared his triumph from his prone position on the floor, the vibration sending spikes of pain through his chest where her feet had impacted. He turned his head to the female, slightly concerned at her unconscious state. Rolling to his stomach he crawled across the floor. An enormous discoloration was forming above her eyes and her breathing sounded labored, but the hunter sighed in relief when one hand slowly rose from the floor to fall across her face.

"Oh boy. Did anyone get the number of the transport that just ran me over?" Kayla squeezed her eyes shut and willed the stars to vanish. She heard the hunter chuckle above her and cracked open one eye to see a large pea-green blemish forming under his chin. "I see it hit you too."

Kh'aan snorted and winced again. "Hit you more hard." The hunter lurched to his feet, surprised that he felt significantly worn out from their brief battle, and reached down to pull up the marine. "Good fight."

Kayla nodded, a twinge of pride filling her at such praise from her former enemy. "Like I said, I kicked your butt once." The room spun when she was upright and she swayed under the effect of a heavy dose of nausea. "Face, meet wall…ugh…wall, meet face." She glanced up sheepishly. "Call this a draw for now?"

Kh'aan nodded, trying to hide his own discomfort as a result of her flying attack. "For now."

Kayla sneered at him before leading the way out of the training room. "Still doesn't count."

########

Shl'nar growled and pounded a fist on the console. They had spent the past few hours following the emissions trail and the hunter finally admitted that it was a waste of time. Apparently Kh'aan had realized that he was leaking vapor from the Masking Field, and had flown a winding track in circles around the star system. They were no closer to him now than they had been when the Arbitrator left, and the aide was frustrated beyond the capacity for rational thought. As he sat glaring at the sensor readout, Mr'aal entered command and shuffled forward to stand next to him. After a moment Shl'nar noticed his presence and waved the old healer to the next chair.

"Are you feeling better?" He managed to grind out between clenched teeth. Mr'aal sighed at the aide's demeanor.

"Yes, but I suspect that the feeling will be short-lived. Is there a problem?"

Shl'nar closed his eyes and tried to reign in his anger. "Our perfect detour has turned into a farce. Kh'aan left these emissions on purpose to throw Kh'val off of his trail…and we fell for it." He sat back and gazed at the healer. "We have wasted the past three hours following nothing."

Mr'aal shook his head sadly. "The Firstborn is very smart, honored warrior. Do not chastise yourself; if Kh'aan sets a trap, it is guaranteed to work."

Shl'nar nodded but his frustration did not subside. He sat forward over the console again and enlarged the sensor grid before reactivating the scan. "Now we must start over, and the longer it takes the closer Kh'val gets to discovering our deception."

Mr'aal nodded and pressed the lever to slide his chair closer to the console. "Then it is best if I help you here, as there are many systems to scan." Shl'nar nodded and they set to work pouring over sensor logs, occasionally instruction the pilot to adjust course. It was going to be a very long night.

########

Kh'val stared at his sensor logs for a long time, his anger steadily growing. After four hours of following the trajectory that Shl'nar had provided, the Arbitrator had wound up on the periphery of the star system containing the ice planet. At first he wondered why Kh'aan would return to this area until it dawned on him that the aide had sent him on a fool's errand. He didn't know which was worse: that he'd listened to Shl'nar, or that the supremely annoying aide had managed to deceive him. Both thoughts made his blood boil.

The Arbitrator reached forward to contact the High Elder and report this disgrace but halted his hand before activating communications. Kh'alik would no doubt deny the possibility that Shl'nar would conceive of such a thing, and may lose faith in the Arbitrator for complaining once again like a common pup. Kh'val snarled and instead punched up long-range sensors. Many years ago when a threat had been made on the Elder's life, the Arbitrator's ship had been equipped with a direct tracking link to Kh'alik's vessel. Shl'nar would not know if this as it had been a private matter between Kh'val and his sire, and now he intended to use it to track down the wayward aide. The seething Arbitrator did not think far enough ahead to determine what he would do once the Elder's vessel was found, but Shl'nar would pay for his treachery, of this Kh'val was certain.

########

"Is that what that room is for?" Kayla asked. They were sitting in the medical bay tending to the minor injuries inflicted on each other. Kayla's forehead had turned a mottled purple color from her impact with the wall and the hunter was applying a thin paste to the area to reduce swelling.

"Kehrite," Kh'aan replied. "Training room." Kayla nodded once he was finished, watching as he applied the paste to the enormous brown and green discoloration on his sternum – her handspring into his chest had fractured two ribs. The marine was a little ashamed that she had kicked him hard enough to leave such a bruise, but Kh'aan seemed impressed that she had managed to injure him so she tried to ignore the urge to apologize.

"The large window is very serene," she commented, absently playing with the ring above her eye. The hunter nodded. "Do all of your ships have a room like that?"

"No. Kehrite inside." Kh'aan wrapped a thin strip of bandage several times around his torso but could not fix the ends when they wound up behind his back. "Mine different."

Kayla stood from the exam bed and helped him tie the ends of the strip. "Did you make it that way on purpose?" She bit her lip when he winced, and retied the strips a little looser.

Kh'aan nodded. "Space center thoughts. More focus." Kayla stepped back and he inspected the bandage, nodding in satisfaction that it would stay in place. He heard a low rumble and looked up to see the female rubbing her stomach, heat filling her cheeks.

"Do you have any more of that bread?" She asked, embarrassed at the sound of her hunger. Kh'aan nodded and she followed him out of the bay.

They turned toward the control room and stopped at a door she had not noticed. The hunter glanced at her before placing his hand over a panel on the door. It swished open silently and she stepped forward but was blocked by his arm. Kh'aan allowed the door to close again and then motioned for her to place her hand on the panel. Kayla did as instructed, jumping when a loud alarm sounded. She watched while the hunter punched several sequences into the panel; it blinked under her hand, the light changing from green to red. Kayla removed her hand when he instructed her and replaced it again. The panel blinked red once without an alarm and the door swished open. She met the hunter's eyes and he nodded.

"Can open now."

She was a little surprised that he had a lock on what appeared to be a small kitchen and asked as much. Kh'aan squeezed past her into the small space and rummaged through a cabinet.

"Learn. Intruder poison food. Lock food."

"Ah," she nodded in understanding, "I can see the need for precaution." He squeezed past her again and she finally ducked around the small table in the middle to get out of the way.

Kh'aan pulled out what looked like a giant cheese wheel and broke off a large hunk, breaking that in half again. He opened a small hatch over his head and pulled down two flat platters and a pair of ceramic goblets, and then opened what turned out to be a cooling unit to remove a large jug. Kayla watched intently, fascinated by such a simple domestic task that suddenly appeared remarkable coming from this ferocious alien. That he could snap her neck just as easily as he broke off the piece of bread was not lost on the marine, and yet all he needed was an apron that said "kiss the cook" or something equally inane to make the picture complete. She laughed at the image, earning a strange look from Kh'aan.

"Nothing," she assured him. "Just a random thought."

Soldier and hunter sat at the tiny table and ate in silence. Kayla had a million questions to ask but none came to mind in a coherent sentence, and Kh'aan could not piece together the words in her language to ask the questions bothering him. Once finished she helped him straighten up, which consisted only of learning where the incinerator was. The hunter placed the used platters and goblets back in the cabinet, and she was about to ask if they needed to be cleaned when a small light blinked and steam rose from the hatch. Her eyes widened and she nodded appreciatively.

"Built-in dishwashers. Nice."

They left the mess and stopped in the control room to check their progress. Kayla sat uncomfortably on the pull-down seat. It had been who knew how long since she'd last used the facilities, and now that her stomach was full again the need was almost unbearable. Finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"Kh'aan?" The hunter turned to see his companion fidgeting on the tiny seat. "Tell me you have a bathroom?"

He laughed heartily, the sound rumbling through Kayla's bones, and rose from the command chair. "Yes, come."

He led her to another small door, this one in the section of the corridor containing his chambers. The door swished open on its own to reveal the largest bathtub she'd ever seen. _Awe will have to wait, Sergeant…where in the world is his toilet?!_ Kh'aan walked along the wall to another small computer panel. He placed his hand on the screen and a section of the wall opened, an obvious commode sliding out of the hollow in the wall. Kayla looked up at the hunter to see him shaking slightly, his mandibles turned in his strange alien smile. _He's laughing!_ She kicked him lightly in the shin.

"It's not funny," she insisted, almost whining in her discomfort.

Kh'aan couldn't contain his amusement. Something as simple as bodily functions certainly had a strong hold on the motivations of the human species, and he noticed that Kayla was unaware that she was dancing on her toes. The sight was too much for him and he quickly pointed out how to operate the device before backing out of the bathing chamber. Leaning against the wall in the corridor he gave in and let out a deep roar of laughter, exacerbated by the contented sigh that he heard through the door. He knew that she heard him when a string of human curses followed the sigh. The door opened and Kayla charged out and punched him on the arm.

"The only thing keeping me from kicking your ass," she growled, "is that I don't know how to fly your ship." She frowned at the hunter but the expression on his face was priceless – an odd mix of stern and hysterical – and soon she was laughing with him. They made their way back to the control room and she resumed her seat against the wall, chuckling occasionally when he pretended to block the controls from her sight.

Kh'aan had not allowed himself to laugh so much in many years, and thanked the gods that he'd not forgotten how. If the human was this amusing for the duration of their voyage he might not be able to let her leave. The thought suddenly reminded him of their trajectory and he turned to face her.

"Ooman settlement."

Kayla looked up at his words, wondering what he was talking about. "Human settlement? Where?" She stood when he motioned her to his side, peering past his shoulder at the sensor readout. Their current position, marked by a ship-shaped dot, was linked by a thick red line to a star system with a circle around it. Kh'aan pointed to the circle.

"Most near." He glanced at her, wondering what she would choose.

Kayla stared at the display for a long time, her expression changing from intrigued to wary. She backed away from the console and resumed her seat against the wall, remaining silent while staring at the floor. Kh'aan thought to ask her directly if she would stay or go, but she finally looked up and met his eyes.

"Don't go there," she stated gravely. His surprise was not missed by the marine and she shook her head and looked away. "I can't go there."

Kh'aan thought he understood and began to scan for another human planet when he felt her at his side and her hand reached forward to stop him.

"I can't go back." She waited for him to look at her before continuing. "The scientists went rogue several years ago. They were supposed to return to Central Command after the government cut their funding, but instead they took what funds they had and all of their research, escaping to Jurnada. The military had no presence there anymore after the last galactic war and so the scientists took over the abandoned base, keeping our squad as their permanent security force." She turned and went back to the wall seat. "Everyone on the base is wanted by the Galactic Federal Military. Anyone caught will be tried, convicted and more than likely executed." She looked away and was silent.

Kh'aan absorbed her words, shocked at the revelation that she could never return to her people. It seemed all too similar to his newfound situation and he wondered how much of a hand the gods had in their lives. Kayla looked up when he clicked to her softly.

"Stay?"

She frowned and pulled at a loose string in her fatigues. "I have no choice, do I? If I return they'll most certainly execute me after an intense debriefing that might kill me anyway. Remain with you or turn myself in? My chances are better staying here."

Kayla stood abruptly and left the control room. Kh'aan stared after her for a long moment before returning his attention to the control panel. He canceled the current course setting and resumed his previous trajectory – away from his clan – before following after the human.

Kayla walked swiftly to the training room, resuming her place against the observation dome. Leaning backwards allowed a few hated tears to leak from her eyes unchecked, and she tried desperately not to think about how screwed she was. It was a long while before she noticed that Kh'aan had joined her, awkwardly mimicking her position against the dome.

"So we're stuck together, then?"

Kh'aan allowed the flutter in his stomach at such a strange view to pass before answering. "Stuck." He glanced over at her. "Bad?"

Kayla met his eyes, realizing that she'd been reading them for clarification of his words ever since they'd met, and shook her head. "Not so bad. It could be worse, right? At least we're alive."

Kh'aan nodded and they lapsed into a comfortable silence, watching the stars roll by.

_***Note: Three times I tried to check this frelling chapter once last time for...whatever, and THREE TIMES I lost all of the work to the damn mouse wheel and it's 'back page' hiccup of frelling DOOM!!! So, sorry for anything that seems outta whack, and enjoy the chapter. I need a drink before I crush that damn mouse with my bare hands. Hugs and kisses from da Cap'n._


	12. Chapter 12

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 12 – Mistaken_

The small vessel cruised at top speed, its two occupants having no destination but the freedom promised by the emptiness of space. Kayla watched Kh'aan as he scanned the surrounding areas for pursuit, her boredom growing with the passing hours. Her forehead throbbed dully from time to time and she was having difficulty keeping her eyes open. She occupied her mind studying the hunter, taking in every detail about this strange alien who she found herself stuck with. His skin tone was a mixture of pale shades of brown and green, each tone blending into the other as though he had rolled around in a puddle of different color paints. Across his stomach and chest ran six deep brown splashes of color about the width of her wrist; the bruise left by her handspring passed through the top three and muddied their otherwise stark definition. He had long, almost tentacle-like protrusions growing from the crown and back of his skull, and though she assumed it was some type of hair the texture seemed rubbery and solid. She unconsciously rubbed her own strands between her fingers while studying his.

Kayla remained astounded by Kh'aan's size. The largest human would be dwarfed by his nearly 8-ft frame, and if the extent of muscle tone was any indication he could probably crush that human with his bare hands. Even in the sedentary state of manning his ship the muscles beneath his skin rippled with every movement. Her human curiosity grew by leaps and bounds as her eyes passed over his form, and she had to restrain herself from engaging in a tactile study of his reptilian texture. The thought made her blush. _I must be really tired to think like that._

When the hunter reached back to scratch his neck she noticed something peculiar. When his hand pushed aside his 'hair' to reach the spot, she saw what could only be described as an enormous burn scar beneath the heavy curtain, extending from the base of his neck halfway down between his shoulder blades. The smooth yellowish scar contrasted sharply with his skin tone and appeared as though someone had poured acid on his back. She made a mental note to ask him about it if given a chance.

Finally her fatigue got the best of her. Not wanting to disturb Kh'aan's intense scrutiny of a sensor sweep, she quietly left the control room and shuffled back to the training room. He had not told her where she could bed down for the duration of their voyage, and so she simply stretched out on the floor next to the domed window and allowed the blur of passing stars to lull her to sleep.

Kh'aan was so absorbed in making sure that they were not pursued that he did not notice for some time that the human had left the room. After a fourth scan that showed no sign of Kh'val, he had turned to ask if she was tired only to find her gone. The hunter quickly left the control room, a nagging doubt in his mind forcing him to see if Kayla was rummaging around in his vessel unattended. He acknowledged that they had formed a strange sort of alliance based on a very small measure of mutual respect, but his ingrained dislike of the human species still made him wary. He checked the medical bay only to find it empty; the bathing chamber and meal chamber were also unoccupied. Unease began to build at the possibility that she had invaded his armory or trophy room until he noticed the light over the door to the kehrite. Entering the room he was surprised to see Kayla asleep under the observation dome.

_Why would she sleep there when the examination platform or even the regeneration module would be more comfortable? Crazy ooman._

For a moment he simply stared at the slumbering soldier before leaving the room to grab a few furs from his chambers. He carefully draped one across the female and folded the other, leaving it by her head. _I wondered where to keep her if she survived…problem solved._ Silently leaving her to sleep, Kh'aan returned to the control room and resumed monitoring the sensors.

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Shl'nar and Mr'aal spent several hours trying to determine a new course of action, having reached an impasse following their discovery of Kh'aan's deception. Their indecision at last roused the curiosity of the three crew members: Ti'nuk the pilot, and technicians Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj. After attempting to deny that something was amiss, Shl'nar finally explained the situation on the condition that they kept their silence. To his surprise they were quite sympathetic to the Firstborn's plight and pledged to see the mission through to the end. Once the crew had returned to their duties Mr'aal pulled the aide aside.

"Was that wise, honored warrior?"

"You can not blame their curiosity, Mr'aal," Shl'nar replied. "I chose a small crew for the very reason that if my plans were discovered it would be by as few as possible. I am only relieved that they will support us."

With the tension of revealing the truth behind them, aide and healer once again set to the task of trying to glean some sort of course from the endless loop of emissions. By the end of the day they still had no idea how to proceed and decided to simply follow the false trail to its end, reasoning that at some point Kh'aan must have left it behind. A long and tedious night followed in which Shl'nar had to relieve Ti'nuk at one point when the pilot fell asleep at his station. The weary hunter was embarrassed but Shl'nar let him off easy.

"You have been at the helm for more than three days. It is I who should be ashamed for pushing you so hard." _I've been running everyone ragged,_ he thought with dismay.

Several hours later the pilot returned, and at once noticed that their heading had not changed since he left. Shl'nar studied their trajectory and ordered Ti'nuk to halt their position. The glare from a bright blue star filled the command deck while the two hunters tried to make sense of their course. The gravitational pull of the star further distorted their readings, making it very difficult to get a clear image of the vapor trail. Mr'aal entered moments later.

"Why have we stopped?"

"We have not altered course in hours," Shl'nar answered without turning around. "It is possible that we have finally found Kh'aan's trail."

Ti'nuk spoke up. "According to the sensors, these emissions are stronger than the others." He made a few adjustments and grunted. "And it is because we are following a comet."

"What!" Shl'nar and Mr'aal both stared in disbelief. The aide spoke first. "How is that possible?"

Mr'aal stood beside the pilot and examined the readings. "The emission trail has nearly the same composition as the false one left by the Firstborn, but he is right, it is much denser than anything that might come from Kh'aan's ship."

Shl'nar groaned in frustration. "Have we lost our course again?"

"I do not think so, honored warrior." The healer's expression was contemplative. "If we have been following Kh'aan's emissions and they have led us here there seems to be only one explanation: he followed the comet."

Shl'nar snarled and brought up the archives of their course. Sure enough they were still following the trail that had started in the previous star system as a knot of useless loops. _Has he lost his mind?_ "It would be insane to try to pilot in the tail of such a rogue body."

Mr'aal tapped his talons on the console. "More insane than leaving his clan to save an ooman?"

The aide grunted in disbelief but could not ignore the possibility. "How else would he hide the leaking emissions than to blend them with a natural phenomenon?" He sat in the command chair and growled. "If we waste more time following the comet and it turns out to be another fool's errand…"

The healer nodded. "We have no choice. This is the only clue we have." Mr'aal laid a hand on the pilots shoulder and turned to leave command. "I will study the readings further in the medical bay; perhaps they will reveal more information. Oh, and do not forget to contact the High Elder."

Shl'nar swore as the door hissed shut. Activating communications, he hoped that Kh'alik would believe that he had lost track of the Arbitrator.

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Kh'val wasted no time speeding back to where he had parted company with the Elder's vessel. Though he did not expect them to still be at the same coordinates, he was a little disappointed that the hunt could not be that simple. He was seething at the thought that Shl'nar might attempt to help his brother. As an Arbitrator he had full jurisdiction to bring the aide before the Council of Elders, but he realized that he could use this to great advantage. If unable to find Kh'aan, he could expose Shl'nar's deception as the reason for his failure. If he found his brother first, he could lie in wait for the aide to arrive and capture them both in the act.

Kh'val was deep in thought when a transmission arrived from the clan ship. He opened the link, coming face to face with his sire.

"Yes, High Elder?"

Kh'alik's expression would have killed a hard meat queen but he spoke quietly; apparently his anger was directed elsewhere. "Your progress, Arbitrator?"

Kh'val clenched a fist and tried to quiet the snarl that grew within his throat, furious that Kh'alik had so little faith in his abilities. He thought quickly. "I have picked up a possible lead, Elder. I am pursuing it now."

Kh'alik studied his Third-born through the visual feed. He could see the anger Kh'val was hiding and his unease grew. "Keep me informed." The Elder ended the transmission without another word.

Kh'val growled and squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to calm down. Something about Kh'alik's expression set off warnings within him, and if the High Elder was suspicious of something Kh'val did not want to be under scrutiny. He quickly activated the tracking module and the Elder's vessel was immediately indicated on his sensors. They were closer than he anticipated and he set a pursuit course that stayed out of their sensor range. _If I am lucky they will find Kh'aan for me and I will only need to arrest him. I would rather hunt him down like the bad blood that he is, but I will accept a gift._ He chuckled at the thought before bringing up more sensor feeds, intently scanning for his brother.

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Kh'alik ended the transmission and sighed. _How could this get any worse? My Firstborn has abandoned his people to gallivant around the universe with a soft meat – the thought is ridiculous enough without the reality being thrust upon me. My Thirdborn, who could fill Kh'aan's shoes if necessary, is exhibiting some disturbing behavior that makes me question his loyalty and his motives – could he be turning into that which he hunts? The relentless Council of Elders is demanding Kh'aan's presence for the announcement ceremony; they will not stand for his absence much longer, but when they find out what has happened they will never accept him as the next High Elder. And Shl'nar is hiding something…I could see in his eyes that he is out there doing much more than searching for Kh'val, and yet he too keeps me ignorant of what is happening._ At a loss for options, the Elder contemplated his last resort, and the agony that contacting her would involve.

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Kayla rolled to her stomach and groaned, the discomfort in her abdomen too insistent to ignore. _What's in that water, rocket fuel?_ Having been so rudely awakened by the call of nature the groggy marine struggled out of a mysterious cocoon of strange-smelling fur and lurched to her feet, shuffling blindly out of the training room into the corridor. With her eyes half-closed she turned left toward what she hoped were his chambers, stopping before a panel in the wall. Too drowsy to remember that the bathing chamber opened on its own, Kayla placed her palm on the screen. Immediately a shrieking alarm sounded throughout the corridor, and she barely managed to snatch back her hand before a metal plate slid down to cover panel.

Kh'aan shot to his feet and had his wristblades strapped on seconds after the alarm began. Instinct and habit blotted out recent memory and he charged out of the control room with intruders on his mind. The recent battle with Kh'val still itched through his veins, so when he spotted the miniscule foe at the door to his weapons room he did not think twice.

In two steps he reached Kayla, grasped her around the throat and lifted her from the ground, slamming her skull into the ceiling bulkhead. The surprised marine shook off the impact and quickly reached up to wrap her legs around the massive arm holding her airborne. The slight increase in leverage gave her a little breathing room while she clawed at his hand.

"Wrong door," she gasped. "I get it. Let go!"

Kh'aan was still blinded to exactly what he held in his grasp. Kayla's words were cut off sharply as he increased his grip and extended his wristblades.

"**You're sneaking around the wrong ship, friend,"** he snarled, weapons rising for the kill.

Kayla eyed the blades and writhed in his grip. "Hey! It's me! Are you blind?! Her words seemed to have no effect on him and left her with no choice. Dropping her legs to dangle from his hold, she swiftly kicked forward with what little leverage she could get. She had hoped to hit his groin but was too high, instead connecting soundly with the ribs she had fractured and resulting in a loud _crack_. Kh'aan felt fire spread across his chest and dropped her immediately, stumbling back a step. Kayla kept an eye on him while she coughed much needed air back into her lungs.

"What the…hell is…wrong with you!" He still hadn't acknowledged her, and she took a small step forward hoping to get his attention. "Are you insane? Are you even listening to me?"

Kh'aan squeezed his eyes shut, the pain radiating from the re-damaged ribs making him gasp for breath. He faintly heard Kayla shouting at him and suddenly realized who he had attacked. _How could one ooman cause this much damage? I must remember to avoid her feet. _

"**You will not enter that room unless I say,"** he snarled.

Kayla stopped cursing him for a bastard when a strange series of clicking-chirping sounds came from him. She waved her hands at him in exasperation. "Hello? Human here, remember? I have absolutely no idea what the hell you're saying!"

Kh'aan stood upright and stormed into her personal space, the pain in his chest ignored. "Stay Out Of There!"

Kayla ducked under his arm to avoid being cornered, her fury increasing. "I told you I had the wrong door. I was half asleep and, oh," Kayla marched from one door to the opposite, slamming a fist on each. "They're IDENTICAL, you colossal jerk. So I'm supposed to accept you choking me over a simple mistake?" She let out a loud frustrated groan. "Excuse the hell out of me, Mr. Mighty Warrior!" She abruptly turned her back, waited the second it took for the door to the bathing chamber to open, and stormed inside.

Kh'aan snarled, hearing another string of curses from the human. _I will not kill you. Paya help me I will not kill you for this. _The hunter closed his eyes and took several deep and painful breaths before turning to his weapons room. He deactivated the alarm and then violently dragged his talons across the metal, leaving three deep grooves in the door. The bone-chilling screech quickly drew Kayla out of the bathing chamber in time to see Kh'aan shake the metal shavings from his fingers and reactivate the alarm. He turned sharply when she growled in exasperation, giving him a glare that promised a thousand deaths before marching back into the training room. She turned and held up her fist with her middle finger extended as the door hissed shut, a sneer plastered on her features. Kh'aan roared pointlessly at the door before heading to the medical bay to tend to his ribs. _Paya help me._

Much to Kayla's dismay, her anger subsided quickly as the sound of her foot hitting Kh'aan's ribs repeated in her mind. She dropped down on the fur sulking and then picked up the thick pelt, realizing that he had covered her with it while she slept. _Great job, Sergeant…that's some thanks you gave him. __**Well, he didn't have to strangle me.**__ It was a misunderstanding, that's all. __**Sure, if there is such a thing with a former-enemy. **__Former-enemy or still-enemy, I might have broken his ribs. God what a mess._

Kh'aan cut away the old bandage to see the bruise darkening on his skin. He injected a healing stimulant into the tissue to aid regeneration, smeared on more of the paste and wrapped on a new bandage, making sure to have the ends where he could reach them. Though he was furious, the more he focused on it the more he realized that he wasn't as concerned about her invading the armory as he was that she nearly lost her hand. _She must be more careful if she is to survive out here. __**Do you really care if she survives?**__If I didn't then what was the point of going back? __**That nice spot on the trophy wall for starters.**__ No, I gave my word that our battle is over. __**Of course it is, and you re-fractured your own ribs.**_

Kh'aan sighed in frustration. **"This is going to be a long trip."**

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Shl'nar's eyes were about to cross from staring at the sensor readout for the past few hours. They had followed the emissions trail as it traversed the rest of the blue-star system before the track split, the stronger emissions leaving the system while the smaller wisp of a trail veered off toward a barren moon. After a short debate over whether to continue following the comet or check to see if the lesser emissions lead to Kh'aan, the rescue crew headed deeper into the star system and set into orbit over the dead moon. Mr'aal had reentered command by this time, and all three waited impatiently for the surface scan to complete.

"I doubt that he is still there, sir," the pilot stated. "These emissions are extremely weak."

Shl'nar nodded slightly. "We must still check for any sign of where he might have gone. If he stopped here and there are no further emissions, he must have repaired the problem. We will be stuck if we can't figure out what he did next."

Mr'aal sat silently, intrigued by a strange nebula drifting across their sensor grid. It was not a large phenomenon, rather miniscule as far as nebulae go, but the healer could not help but wonder what type of mechanics gave such a gaseous body cohesive mobility. His speculation was interrupted by a strange beep on the sensors. Leaning forward he noted what appeared to be a ship on the periphery of the grid; while he watched it blinked out of range.

"Shl'nar, I believe we are being followed."

The aide paused in mid-word and turned from Ti'nuk to the sensors. "Followed? There is nothing out there but space debris. What makes you think…?" Before he could question the healer he saw for himself – a ship blinked in and out on the screen, hovering at the edge of their sensor range. "What was that?"

Suddenly the two technicians rushed into command, Sin'kaj holding a small black button in his hand. "Shl'nar, we have found a tracking device!" They shoved it in his face making the aide take a step back. "We were rerouting power to the sensors as you requested when a diagnostic indicated that our changes would disrupt an outgoing signal – this." They stood attentively while Shl'nar studied the device. Another beep sounded from the sensors as the phantom vessel skipped in and out of range, and the aide growled.

"Kh'val." He practically spat the Arbitrator's name, throwing the small device over his shoulder at Fh'zaan. "I don't know how he placed such a device on the Elder's ship, but I have no doubt that the blip on our sensors is him." The aide snarled. "If he is tracking us, he must know what we are up to."

The techs groaned and Ti'nuk pounded a fist on the console. Before Shl'nar could voice a course of action the pilot spoke up, rage making his voice tremble. "If he knows, he most likely intends to let us lead him to Kh'aan, and then arrest us all." A string of curses followed and he leaned forward in his seat to study the controls.

Mr'aal snarled quietly. "We can not lead him to The Firstborn." His simple words were full of venom aimed at the Arbitrator, and the others were a little surprised at the strength of emotions coming from the ancient healer. Empowered by his resolve, the others nodded their agreement.

After several moments of silent thought, Shl'nar pounded a fist on the console. "Then we will not. Alter our course; head for home." His orders surprised the pilot and healer.

"Home?" Mr'aal could not contain his confusion. "You would abandon the search for Kh'aan?"

Shl'nar shook his head, a steady snarl rumbling through his throat. "Never. On the contrary, I will make the Arbitrator think that we have."

Ti'nuk nodded and adjusted their heading, though he too did not like the idea. They silently prayed that this delay would not cost Kh'aan his life.

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The dark vessel hovered in orbit above a gas giant, the Arbitrator at the helm watching his sensors for a move from his quarry. The Elder's Vessel had been situated over an old moon for several hours and Kh'val wondered what they were up to.

_Your saviors have lost their way, brother. You are better at hiding like a coward than I gave you credit for. _

He was about to get something to eat when his sensors beeped; the Elder's Vessel was finally moving. Kh'val quickly extrapolated their trajectory only to realize that they were heading back to the clan ship. He grunted in disbelief.

"You would abandon the search so quickly, Shl'nar? I expected more from you. No matter, I can find him on my own."

Kh'val was not one to throw away useless information no matter what the source, and so had quite the arsenal of tricks up his sleeve that most other hunters would not consider. One such idea came to mind, and he adjusted the sensor relay to scan for waste debris, specifically waste with a human DNA signature. Most space-faring vessels had a pre-burn waste disposal automatically run immediately before jumping to high speeds from a stationary position. Kh'aan's ship was no different, and specifying for the human factor made it easy to distinguish his debris from all of the rest floating the vicinity. Kh'val had adopted the technique from a group of rogue females, and as the sensors calibrated he let out a bark of triumph when a small gray cloud was revealed on the screen. The Arbitrator studied the cloud and noted a small hook trailing out of one side as though something had moved from that point. Kh'val could not help but grin as he set a course. _Forgive me, Shl'nar, but I haven't time to point you in the right direction. Happy hunting, traitor!_

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Far across the next star system, after avoiding Kayla for the rest of the day Kh'aan finally left the control room and made his way to the small meal chamber. Opening the door without looking, he nearly missed the pyramid of Isnak Loaf sitting on a platter in the center of the table. It had been intricately cut into cubes and sat next to a full jug from the cooling unit – _my c'ntlip!_ – and there was a short note written on the surface of the small table…in berry juice:

'Sorry I kicked you again.

– Kayla'

Kh'aan chuckled and replaced the jug in the cooling unit before picking up the platter._ This took more time than an apology is worth, and I was the one who attacked. I will never understand her. _He paused in the door, the plate of loaf cubes teetering on his hand, and then turned back. He plucked another berry from the bunch in the cooling unit and, after looking up the proper glyphs, used it to scrawl a note back to her:

'Sorry Also'.

He paused wondering how to spell his name in her language, and settled on a smear of berry juice. _She has me defacing my own ship. Crazy ooman!_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 13 – WTF!_

_The female awoke to feel a warm body against her back. The urge to snuggle closer to his heat made her roll over and press against the chest in front of her. The texture of the hunter's skin against her own made her senses quiver, and a rumbling purr vibrated against her cheek. After a night of disturbing dreams she relished in the feeling of security his closeness provided, and she sighed contentedly when she felt his lower jaw brush against the top of her head. Strong arms encircled her waist and sharp talons gently traced circles on her spine while the purr continued, sending a tingle through her toes to cycle back to regions that had not felt such stimulation for nearly an eternity. Raising her hand she slowly dragged the back of her nails in a line trailing up the torso before her, causing the purr to deepen. She caressed her fingers around Kh'aan's thick muscular waist and mimicked the circles being traced on her own back. _

_Though still drowsy she was aware enough to feel the skin against her cheek grow warmer, and did not miss the shudder through his frame as her fingers toured his form. She turned her face from side to side nuzzling against him, and felt another vibration pass through him when her lips grazed across the sensitive skin between pectoral muscles. The talons on her back ceased their circling, instead pressing full hands against her spine to pull her impossibly closer. She shifted her left leg against his, her knee rubbing close enough to make his loins tingle, and she finally maneuvered her leg until she felt a frighteningly solid thigh lock between hers. The sensation of such strength so close to her core set her body to throbbing in anticipation, and she caught his response in the sharp musk emitting from the scent glands of his throat inches above her eyes. Stretching to reach without leaving the embrace, she pressed her nose to the juncture where neck met shoulder and breathed deeply, sending another shudder through the massive body pressed against her. Kh'aan's purring rumble grew deeper, and when she flicked out her tongue to taste his skin he jerked against her in surprise and delight. His musk grew stronger and the leg locked between hers trembled against her rapidly heating nether regions. Sinking back into the embrace she rubbed her cheek against his chest again and squeezed her other arm into the hollow between his waist and the floor, reaching as far as she could but never meeting her fingers. Once comfortable she ran her fingers in little trails up and down his back and could not help but moan in contentment…his name breathing through her lips. _

"_Kh'aan…"_

_The hunter was awash with desire for the female in his arms. His instincts tried in vain to remind him that she was human, different, prey, anything to take his mind off of the feel of her, but her scent and touch were driving him wild and he could feel her heat pressed against his thigh. Her tiny movements against him were unhinging his senses, and her tongue on his skin was becoming an unbearable torture that he did not want her to stop. When her intake of breath plucked at his skin he felt it straight down to his loins and was surprised to feel his organ awaken four years ahead of schedule. All propriety disappeared when she moaned his name, and Kh'aan did not think twice before rolling to his back and pulling her across his chest. She giggled at the movement and her sleepy gaze met his eyes. _

"_Surprised me." _

_He lost himself in the mirth of her eyes and realized right away that she was not tired…she was just as aroused as he. He choked on a breath when she leaned to the side to sweep her lips across __his chest__, and he bucked involuntarily under her when she flicked her tongue __up the center of his chest__ while staring him teasingly in the eye. She smirked and winked at him._

"_Surprised you."_

_Not to be outdone, Kh'aan abruptly lifted her higher against him to graze his mandibles down her throat while his thick forked tongue snaked out to tease in the opposite direction. She braced a hand on his chest while the other gripped his forearm, an intense groan falling from her lips at the sensation._

"_Gods, do that again," she begged him, arching her neck eagerly. Happy to oblige, Kh'aan held her tightly to his chest while he licked trails up and down her throat, her slightly salty skin tasting like heaven to his senses. She fidgeted on his lap, her hands snaking to his shoulders and neck in an effort to hold him prisoner against her throat. She moaned without shame and her scent spiked with each pass of his mouth. He felt a concentrated throbbing intensify between her legs, the sensation centered over his organ so nicely that he nearly forgot to breathe. _

_By now the female could feel his arousal clearly and the thought of just what she wanted him to do with it made her skin break out in a cold sweat. She clung to her hunter frantically while his rough tongue worked her senses into a frenzy, eliciting whimpering gasps from her throat that Kh'aan relished. Almost imperceptibly her hips began to rock against him, pressing her sensitive body against his rigid length as though no garments separated them. For a moment the hunter simply absorbed the sensations with blissful abandon, not familiar with such movement but quickly grasping its meaning. Her eyes shot open when one of his hands reached down to grip her behind and he locked his gaze to hers – her eyes completely black in her arousal. The hunter pressed her body down against his throbbing length, growling in delight when she gripped his shoulders and arched into the sensation. He sat up abruptly to taste her exposed collarbone and purred with pleasure when her arms encircled his neck to hold him there. _

_He pulled away to gaze into her eyes and gasped at the primal lust he saw there. He would break the bonds of his cultural mating habits this night, 7-year cycle be damned, and the thought made him twitch against her again. He groaned against her throat, his hips involuntarily rocking with her. _

"_Want you."_

_The human's little pink tongue trailed along his mandibles one by one before he met it with his own, the sensation rocketing through them both in a violent tremor as their tongues danced. She met his gaze and pressed her body against him in a silent promise._

"_Have me."_

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Elder Kh'alik's eyes shot open and he leapt from his sleeping platform with a roar.

"No! I will never allow it! NEVER!"

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***HAPPY NEW YEAR! A treat from my fevered brain to yours! The adventure will continue in 2010! (yeah, like that's not tomorrow)

Love and sloppy kisses from da Cap'n!


	14. Chapter 14

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 14 - Detours_

Everyone on the clan ship did all in their power to avoid High Elder Kh'alik the next day. His roar at such an early hour preceded a rampage that they had never seen from him before. Several unsuccessful attempts to contact either his aide or the Arbitrator had resulted in Kh'alik throwing the communications technician through a wall, not only severely injuring the tech but damaging several vital conduits as well. After such a display the Elder had sequestered in his chambers, though several hunters who passed could not avoid hearing him raging through the door…thereby revealing exactly what had him so agitated. The information spread quickly throughout the clan ship, and soon everyone knew that the Firstborn was on the run with a human. The news did not cause the world-shattering cataclysm that Kh'alik feared, but it roused enough questions to reach far into space, and he was unprepared for the communication he received near midday.

"Grand Matron! Wha…what a pleasant surprise!" Kh'alik tried in vain to appear untroubled. "To what do I owe this honor?"

Grand Matron Sh'aan was silent for some time, her golden eyes studying the High Elder. Finally she nodded in greeting. "Kh'alik. It has been long since we last spoke." She waited patiently and noted the small tics under the Elder's eyes, testament to his discomfort.

"Yes, yes it has." Even High Elder Kh'alik could not escape the feeling of complete exposure under the power of her stare. "How may I help you?"

Grand Matron Sh'aan wore a sinister smile. "You may start, Kh'alik, by telling me why I received a transmission from the Council concerning your recent behavior."

Her words sent him reeling. "The Council, Grand Matron? I do not understand." Kh'alik knew that he was losing ground fast but could not bring himself to confess. Her eyes flashed over the feed.

"Do not patronize me, Kh'alik. That the Council of Elders contacted me **at all** is enough to immediately depose you. Do not force my hand. I asked you a question."

The High Elder hung his head. "Forgive me, Grand Matron for my indiscretion." He tried to think of anything other than the truth but the gods denied him the knowledge. Finally he huffed and met her eyes. "Kh'aan has gone rogue; he is cavorting with a soft meat."

The regal female nodded, her gaze softening. "I know."

Kh'alik's color paled slightly before he came back to himself. "With all due respect, Grand Matron, how could you know? None are aware of the circumstances but those searching for him."

"And those who heard you ranting in your chambers this morning, and those they told, and those who heard the rumor and ran with it to the Council…need I go on?" She allowed a small laugh to escape. "Really, Kh'alik. How long did you think that you could keep this a secret from me, or from everyone for that matter? The Announcement Ceremony is fast approaching as you know."

Kh'alik could not contain his annoyance at falling for her trap. "I had hoped to have him back by then, but he is being most difficult. I…"

The Grand Matron raised a hand to silence him. "Spare me, Kh'alik. We will discuss this at length when I arrive."

The Elder balked. "You are coming to the clan ship, Grand Matron? Surely that is not necessary. There is no need to concern yourself." _She can not come here!_ He was unprepared for the snarl that vibrated through his bones as though she were standing behind him.

"Not necessary? You lose the heir to the seat of High Elder, send Arbitrators after him like a common bad blood, abuse half of the clan in your frustration and then dare to tell me that it is not my concern!"

Kh'alik tried to interject his authority. "Now see here…"

Grand Matron Sh'aan reined in her fury. "Need I remind you, Kh'alik, who BORE your Firstborn? From this moment on all decisions concerning his situation will be brought to me for approval." Her eyes flashed again. "I will arrive in three days."

The communication ended abruptly leaving the High Elder in a worse state than when he awoke from that disturbing nightmare.

"This can not be happening."

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Kayla finished a morning workout in the training room before heading to the bathing chamber to wash up. The hunter had not shown her how to use the giant bath yet, and though it appeared simple she chose not to attempt, instead opting for the standing basin of filtered liquid. Once refreshed she shuffled down the corridor to the tiny 'kitchen'. The door hissed open and she stepped through, at first heading straight for the cabinet where the bread was kept before her mind caught up with her eyes and she turned around. Right in the center of the table was a smaller version of the bread pyramid that she had prepared for Kh'aan. It was on the same plate and she assumed that he had left her the rest. Kayla slid the platter in front of a seat and sat down only to see Kh'aan's smeared reply underneath. The sight made her smile, and after eating she was careful to clean every smear of berry juice from the table so that it would not stain the light surface.

Kh'aan sat back from the console and rubbed his eyes. He had been monitoring the scanners for hours and felt as though his head would explode through the sockets. He rose and left the control room, intending to see if Kayla would spend the day avoiding him when she suddenly emerged from the meal chamber and they collided.

"Oh, hi." The marine looked up with just a small amount of reservation in her gaze. "I…um…I cleaned that mess off of the table."

Kh'aan inclined his head slightly in gratitude. "Eat?"

Kayla nodded. "Yes I finished what was left, though I wonder…do you have anything else that I can eat?" She shoved her hands in her pockets and leaned back against the wall, trying not to think about the growing knot of indigestion. After spending half her life eating strict military rations, her body was not adjusting too well to the new conditions. "The bread and berries are fine, but at some point I'll need some protein or I'll be living in your bathing room."

Kh'aan pondered what he had in the cooling unit – mostly preserved rations from previous hunts, berries and other plant stuffs, and c'ntlip – before motioning her back into the meal chamber. "Much to try."

For the next few hours they occupied themselves with a taste test of all of the food he had on board. After sampling a modest collection of fruits and vegetables and determining that she could stomach about half of it, Kh'aan began pulling out wrapped lumps and revealed several different types of meat. Though she had no idea if she could eat any of his stash, the sight reminded her of the synthetic steak dinners on Jurnada and made Kayla's mouth water.

The hunter sliced off small bits for her to test. Kayla took a bite of the first – a stringy piece of dark flesh – and seemed to be able to tolerate it when suddenly she started to cough and abruptly shot to her feet, running from the room. The marine barely made it to the bathing chamber in time and her color was pale when she returned to the table.

"Well, that one was no good."

Kh'aan thought a moment, realizing that they could not test the meat this way if she had such a reaction – it could kill her. He held out another piece. "Do not eat."

She looked confused for a moment before nodding in understanding. For the next piece – a greenish lump with a pleasant scent – she placed it on her tongue but did not swallow. At first nothing happened and she was about to chew it up when her tongue began to burn, and the sensation traveled down her throat making her gag. Kayla swiftly spit the morsel into her hand, coughing before shaking her head.

"Strike two."

They repeated the process through the other packs of rations only to come up empty. Kayla gulped down a full jug of water to wash the acrid burn from her mouth, but the taste lingered even after a generous helping of a flavorful root that had been added to her list of 'edibles'. With their current stores Kayla was reduced to a vegetarian, a concept Kh'aan found hard to believe existed in sentient species when she explained it to him.

They cleaned up the meal chamber and went to the control room to check their progress. After an extended silence Kh'aan got an idea. He turned to face her, clicking to draw her attention away from the loose strings in her leg coverings.

"Go hunt?"

Kayla looked up, thinking she'd misunderstood him. "Hunt? As in for food?" Humans had stopped hunting for their food centuries ago.

"Meat not new." He watched the confusion cross her features, and felt as though he could see her human brain grinding up his words in an effort to understand what he meant.

"Not new, you mean not fresh?" Kayla thought it over some more. _Not new, not fresh…old…preserved. _She looked up abruptly.

"Preservatives? You think that I'm reacting to your meat preservation chemicals or whatever you use?" When he nodded she felt rather pleased with herself. She stood and walked to his side, peering down at the sensor grid. "I suppose it's worth a shot if you think we can spare the time. Where can we hunt?"

Kh'aan entered a few sequences into the computer and the grid changed to indicate several planets nearby. He looked up at the human. "Much life to hunt".

A shiver traveled down Kayla's spine and she wondered exactly what kind of 'life' he meant. "Sentient?"

He entered a few more commands and then grunted. "No." She was not certain but he seemed disappointed.

"Good." She turned back to the wall seat. "I don't know if I could eat anything that I could relate to…unless I had no choice." She did not miss another disappointed grunt from the hunter as he set a course. _Makes me wonder who your rations used to be._

########

Far across the next galaxy Shl'nar and his crew retraced their steps, scanning for the Arbitrator or the Firstborn and finding neither. They were quickly losing hope that they could find Kh'aan before Kh'val did, and the thought of failure was more than the aide could take. He finally left command in a foul temper after agonizing over ignoring the High Elder's transmissions.

After resting for several hours, Shl'nar went to the medical bay to check on Mr'aal. The ancient healer had promised to study their sensor readings for any clues, but when the aide entered the room Mr'aal was deeply engrossed in studying a small nebula. Shl'nar could not keep the annoyance from his voice.

"What are you doing? We're supposed to be searching for Kh'aan, not looking at space phenomena! We have no time for this!"

Mr'aal turned abruptly, his shame at being caught evident on his features. He tried to compose himself. "I know, honored warrior, and I was. I searched through all of the sensor archives we have recorded since leaving the clan ship, and have found no clues that would assist us in finding the Firstborn. In the midst of my disappointment I once again noticed this strange nebula, and could not help but turn my attention to it." The healer turned back to the sensors and pointed to a line leading from the gaseous cloud. "If you see here, I have found that it is not following a random course. In fact its path is on a perfect arc, but the orbit is so vast that the gravitational center is off of our known charts. It is truly fascinating that such a phenomenon could remain linked to something so distant."

Shl'nar tried to remain calm. "Yes, it is very fascinating, Mr'aal, but it does not help us find our quarry." He turned his back and took a deep breath. "Please do me the favor of going over the readings we took when first lost track of the field emissions. There must be something that we missed, and if there is I am sure that your keen eye for detail will find it."

Mr'aal slowly bowed his head. "Yes, honored warrior. You are right; there is no time to waste. Forgive my distraction." He waited for the aide to leave before letting out a deep growling sigh.

"May Paya guide us, or we may never find him now."

########

Kh'val was pleased with the simplicity of the pursuit. No sooner did he leave the blue star system than a blip appeared on his sensors, and he reached those coordinates to find another at the edge of his range. He maximized his speed to catch up but for several hours only managed to just keep the vessel in sight. Though frustrated he was willing to be patient, and reduced speed to conserve power. With Shl'nar out of the picture and Kh'aan almost in his grasp, the Arbitrator knew that it was only a matter of time.

As his mind wandered over the events of the past several days, Kh'val suddenly remembered his stashed possessions and quickly retrieved them from beneath the deck plating in the main corridor. Though he would never risk his life by allowing anyone to see them, he kept three precious trophies as a testament to his valor both as hunter and Arbitrator. Within a sealed glass cube he had preserved the eyes of his first Bad Blood; in another, the heart of the leader of the rogue females. Lastly his most prized and most carefully guarded treasure, the skull of a human suckling. Though deemed off limits by law, Kh'val reasoned that the pup had attacked him with a stick when he killed its sire and thus was a valid trophy. Besides, their skulls were more delicate and the challenge of preserving one without breaking it was always a pleasure.

After replacing his trophies in their rightful place the Arbitrator went back to the control room to see an incoming transmission. On an impulse he shut off communications, and was pleased to notice next that he had gained substantially on his quarry. _Ah yes, this is no time for interruption._ He studied the sensors further and increased his speed to maximum once more; he could taste success like vapor in the air and hoped that this did not end up in another chase.

Kh'val adjusted the sensors as he got closer to the source, pinpointing Kh'aan's position above a small planet with several land masses. His brother seemed to be looking for a particular place to set down, and after a thought the Arbitrator chose to let him. He could more easily cut off their escape if they were on the surface, simply by disabling their vessel from the air.

_Soon…_

########

Hunter and Marine were at an impasse. As far as stubbornness went they were perfectly matched and could not agree on the better course of action. The planet they chose had a variety of life to choose from, but Kayla preferred the idea of some quick fishing while Kh'aan wanted to hunt on land for something more substantial, which would undoubtedly take more time.

"People on the run from the law do not stop to go grocery shopping – they grab what they can get on the go. We can skim across the surface with a net right through that one group of schools and 'poof' it's over. You said yourself that you've done this before on the fly, so why make things more complicated?" After pacing a groove in the floor Kayla had resumed leaning over the console and repeatedly pointing out the schools of marine life, much to Kh'aan's annoyance. Every time her finger touched the image it beeped and zoomed away from where he was looking.

"Large on land. More meat. Less time." He growled and batted her hand away again, frustrated that they were actually arguing about something so stupid. The human groaned her own frustration and stepped away to lean her head against the wall.

"This is getting us nowhere. Your psycho brother is still after us, isn't he?" When he growled threateningly she spun and held up her hands. "Hey, I mean no disrespect but you said he would probably kill you, and brother out to kill brother says 'psycho' to me. Sorry. If it was my sister I'd call her a psycho too."

Kh'aan turned in his seat to regard her, wondering if he could beat some sense into her thin human skull when she held up her hands in submission and shook her head. "It's ok. It's your ship; we'll stock it with what you want. I got a little overzealous with my suggestion. I give, ok. Let's just get it done."

The hunter chuffed under his breath and turned back to the console. He began to set a descent vector when a chill went down his spine and he turned in his seat abruptly. The human wasn't looking at him; she was looking out of the viewport. _Why do I feel like I'm being watched? _He adjusted the sensors to scan the surrounding space and they quickly revealed Kh'val hiding behind a nearby moon. Kh'aan's bark of outrage surprised the marine, and before Kayla could blink the hunter shoved her back onto the wall seat and strapped a previously unseen harness across her shoulders. He quickly returned his seat and punched several commands into the console. Kayla squeezed her eyes shut when the engines powered to full and shot them out of orbit. The jarringly abrupt motion nearly made her sick and she briefly wondered what kind of stabilizers his ship used, if any. When the nausea passed she opened her eyes to see Kh'aan's hands flying over the controls in an effort to lose whatever made him run.

"Is it him?" She had to shout to be heard over the alarms that began to go off. An energy blast exploded in front of them momentarily blinding her, and she realized that they were being shot at as well. "It's him, isn't it?"

Kh'aan slid his fingers deftly over the controls but Kh'val stayed tight on his tail firing warning shots that were too close for comfort. He cursed his negligence at being so caught up in their food dilemma when they were still being hunted. _And who said we didn't have time to waste…I owe her an apology. _His eyes flicked back and forth across the console trying to find some means of escape from the relentless Arbitrator. He heard Kayla speaking behind him but could not break his concentration to answer her and so simply nodded his head.

Kayla kept her mouth shut after that, not wanting to distract him from piloting a sickening course around planets and moons that blurred by so rapidly that she had to look away. She felt as though she were in a one-man fighter instead of a scout ship, and gritted her teeth when he banked again. The vessel jarred beneath her and a light started blinking on the console. Kh'aan snarled and glanced over his shoulder.

"Hit. Hold on."

Her eyes grew wide but she nodded and braced herself. Kh'aan spun the ship around so quickly that she was nearly thrown from her harness. The surprised Arbitrator did not have time to evade them and they skidded over the top of his vessel, the screech of metal-on-metal grating through their bones. The impact bounced both ships apart for a long enough moment to allow Kh'aan to alter course and veer off behind another planet and out of visual contact. All systems had alarms blaring and he punched in several rapid sequences until finally the noise stopped. Kayla sighed behind him.

"Thank you. My head was about to explode."

He turned his head to peer at her. "Not yet. Hold on." He turned back to the sensors to see Kh'val tailing them once again and altered course around another large planet hoping to come up behind him. He glanced down at their trajectory only to see the controls begin to flicker. Simultaneously he heard a gasp from the human, and looked up to see a massive vortex opening in front of the ship – directly in their path.

########

Kh'val snarled at his communications array, once again damaged by his brother. He cursed the confounded chase as he pursued them around the planet, and abruptly brought his vessel to an emergency stop. There before his eyes swirled a vortex three times the size of Kh'aan's ship, and the smaller vessel was headed straight for it. He reversed engines against the immediate gravitational pull, and from a distance watched their futile effort to move away, but before the Arbitrator could blink the vortex flared brightly and vanished…and Kh'aan's ship was gone.

########

The ship was slammed by the force of the wormhole, its haphazard entry vector setting it into a spin that tumbled the occupants to and fro in the control room. One moment the force tore Kayla from the harness and sent her slamming into the command console and the next it wrenched the command chair from its housing and crashed Kh'aan into the ceiling. The vessel rolled violently through the vortex and they struggled to find a grip on anything around them.

Kayla shook away the stars and looked over to see Kh'aan slam into the floor grating and try to grasp it with his talons, but he kept losing his grip in the shaking chaos. She levered to her knees spotting a secure hold under the console in front of her. Before she could reach for it the ship rocked and she was thrown back against the wall, the wall seat digging painfully into her legs. No sooner did she hit when Kh'aan sailed past her into the side console. The ship tilted again and she fell forward slamming her forehead into the floor.

Kh'aan shook off the impact and again dug his claws into the grating, trying to hang on while the ship bucked around them. He crawled across the floor and grabbed Kayla's arm before she slid into a sparking panel in the wall. He grabbed her around the waist and used what strength he had left to shove her up under the console between the mangled chair support and the panel. The space was too big to hold her tightly and so he grasped the support with one hand and levered up to brace his shoulder against her stomach. The pressure brought the unconscious human around and she looked at him with fearful eyes before she maneuvered to try to hold him in place as well.

Kayla had just managed to wrap her arm under his when the ship lurched and she felt her weight falling out from under the console. Frantically she tried to hang onto the hunter but Kh'aan lost his grip on the support post and slid several feet away. Kayla dropped to wrap her body around the post as the bow tilted precariously higher.

"Grab my hand! Reach!"

The ship shook violently, screeches of metal and internal explosions echoing through the corridor. Kh'aan stretched as far as he could trying to reach Kayla's hands, his claws unable to hang onto the floor grating. He could feel the angle pulling at him and briefly realized one good reason he should have repaired the door to the control room. He had just reached her hand and felt the tips of her fingers when the vessel bucked and threw him from his grip. Kayla watched in horror as the tilt of the ship threw the hunter backwards through the open hatch, and a scream ripped its way from her throat.

"KH'AAN!"

The back of his legs slammed into the railing around the access stairs, flipping him over to crash his chest into the second railing before tumbling him once more down the corridor. The last thing Kayla saw was Kh'aan's body crashing through the door of his chambers, just as the console blew out behind her and everything went black.


	15. Chapter 15

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 15 – Salvation_

The Arbitrator stared at his sensors in disbelief, unable to look away and yet unable to set a course. He half expected to see the ship appear out of nowhere just as quickly as it had disappeared. When he looked through the viewport the disturbing image was still there – a giant swirling vortex stealing his prize. Failure was not something that Kh'val would ever admit but all chance of success had disappeared with his brother. At the same time though it did not feel like defeat...more loss than defeat and the concept of a difference unsettled him. He finally blinked dry eyes and set a course on a widening orbit out of the star system. A heavy growl in his stomach gave him an excuse and he allowed his body to function without his mind playing a part. After a bath that he did not feel and a meal that he did not taste, Kh'val returned to the control room to check his sensor logs and noticed another missed transmission from the High Elder. Impulse moved his hand and Kh'alik was quick to receive him.

"_At last! Do you have any idea how long I have been trying to contact you?! Why have you not…"_

"I lost him."

A heavy silence extended for several moments before the High Elder was able to answer. _"What do you mean, you 'lost' him?"_

Kh'val could not figure out later what made him speak but for once the truth came forth. "I was following him, High Elder; I had him in my grasp. I honestly could have shot him through the eye as close as I was when he turned around and RAMMED me! Yes, I see your expression and I thought the same thing – he _is_ insane – but none the less I followed him around this large atmospheric planet – _as if he could lose __me__ – _and right in front of me this enormous gravitational vortex opened up and swallowed him! Right before my eyes! I could not believe it! So I am currently, well, trying to find…something."

The Arbitrator took a breath and studied his sire closely. Kh'alik's eyes had grown small with contempt, and then very wide as his story progressed. With no idea what else to say Kh'val hoped it was absurd enough to be believable. Several minutes passed before Kh'alik finally seemed to come back to himself.

"_You can not be serious."_ His eyes held an entirely different tone than his voice.

"I speak the truth, High Elder." For once Kh'val did not feel cold on his neck saying those words. "As soon as I have a lead I will contact you."

Kh'alik looked away from the feed and slowly shook his head several times before he spoke. _"No. For the time being I want you to return to the clan ship. The Grand Matron will be here shortly and I will require your counsel."_

Kh'val held back his contempt. "With all due respect, High Elder, I realize the futility of continuing the search but I will not stop looking until I know at least that he is out of reach." Kh'alik snarled at his tone and the Arbitrator continued quickly. "It should take no more than a few days to search the reaches of my sensors. If by then I have found nothing, I will return. My fuel cells will need replacement soon regardless."

High Elder Kh'alik peered carefully through the link. _"Very well. You have four days."_ The transmission ended and Kh'val drummed his talons on the console deep in thought before resetting his course, the chill on his spine having returned to its usual tingle.

_I will not lose him so easily._

########

Sergeant Kayla Victor awoke wrapped painfully around the command chair post, a broken coil jabbing into her side. The marine took several deep breaths and cried out when needles of pain shot cross her back. For a long moment she waited for the sensation to pass and only cracked her eyes open when she could breathe without gasping. Immediately she wanted to shut them again - the control room was destroyed. The forward console had blown itself to bits and a healthy crack was forming in the forward viewport. Through the window she could see a bright nebula that rocked back and forth as the ship drifted. The sound of glass cracking further pushed her into action and the damaged human untangled her legs from under the console and pushed to her feet. The momentum kicked Kayla head-first into the ceiling and she quickly realized that whatever gravity drive the hunter used was offline. The thought of Kh'aan brought everything rushing back and she grasped the ceiling grates and pulled her way to the door of the control room, every movement of her arms sending lightning down her spine.

The corridor was a sea of destruction. Conduits and panels had exploded throughout the ship and filled the space with glowing sparks and flailing wiring, and mixed with the electric stars were droplets of iridescent green blood. The image of the hunter tumbling gown the corridor came to her mind as she crawled over the entry into the corridor.

"KH'AAN?" Her voice echoed eerily down the corridor. "KH'AAN!"

The marine slowly pulled hand over hand across the ceiling of the corridor trying not to make contact with the loose wiring and sparking circuits. She reached the central juncture and was immediately shrouded in a cloud of smoke rising from the engineering deck. As she peered down the hole and saw reflected flames in the smoke, her eyes spotted dents in the railing from Kh'aan's impact. A burst of flame shot out of the depths of engineering and she twisted away to avoid having her face burned off.

_Please don't explode…please don't explode…_

She pushed off from the ceiling grates and launched herself forward out of the smoke, nearly colliding with a fallen support beam that had crashed through the bathing room. The marine quickly raised her hands and pushed off of the beam, twisting her body to slide underneath to the other side. Spinning upright and grasping the beam behind her, Kayla stared at the gaping ragged hole that was once the door to the hunter's chambers. He had not simply collided with it – his momentum had crashed him through the door, leaving the housing intact with a round punch through the middle. Around the edges of the opening were smears of blood, and hanging from a sharp metal point was a lock of Kh'aan's hair.

Forcing down her panic, Kayla pushed off from the beam and carefully maneuvered through the door into his chambers. The eerie red light that customarily bathed the room flickered ominously and his possessions floated in the air. She had to throw her entire body backward to avoid a curved blade that spun toward her, barely missing her throat. She braced her heels against the mangled door and tried to see through the darkness.

"Kh'aan?" Her whispered voice gave away her fear and Kayla growled in a weak attempt to regain control of her emotions. Other than the spark of busted wiring the chamber was silent. A fur from his bed platform floated toward her and she pushed it away, revealing Kh'aan floating in the air in a halo of glowing droplets of blood. The hunter appeared dead and a tremor shook the marine from head to toe.

"Quit your panic, Sergeant! Get a grip and do something!" Her voice shook as she tried to draw strength and knowledge from her training. She scanned the room looking for hand and foot holds and delicately eased up the wall and across the ceiling until she was looking down at her companion. A large gash split his forehead and bled profusely and his torso was crisscrossed with slashes from his tumble and collision with the door. Another of the hunter's blades jutted from his abdomen, though thankfully it did not emerge from his back. His left arm dangled limply, his right knee was swollen and discolored, and a long slash ran the length of his left leg from the hip to the calf. The bruise on his chest from her earlier kicks had spread down his torso, and his breath only faintly moved the blood floating in front of his face.

Sergeant Victor sucked in a deep breath and gave her mind over to instinct. She gripped the ceiling with one hand and kicked off her shoes. Grasping the grating with her toes she allowed her body to drop forward until she could reach the hunter. She managed to grasp the belt around his waist and, thankful for the lack of gravity, pulled his remarkably weightless bulk up to the ceiling where she quickly wrapped her arms around his waist. The stretch of her arms sent agony across her back but Kayla pushed down the pain and tried to stay on task. Muttering a quick apology she yanked the blade from his stomach and pressed her hand to the wound.

"Kh'aan! Wake up!" The hunter did not respond even after she patted his face with a good bit of force. "Come on, give me a sign here. Wake up!"

After still receiving no response from him Kayla could not stop a small whine from sneaking through her lips. "You will **not** die on me!"

Twisting her body while nearly breaking her toes, she maneuvered around until she had Kh'aan in a secure hold, cradling his head on her chest and using her own body to hold him up. She tightly linked her legs around his waist, and once positive that she could hang on used her arms to pull them across the ceiling, all the while murmuring to him.

"I've got you. Stay with me, now. Hold on."

The lack of a grav drive made the going easier but once she got him out into the corridor she still had to dodge the electric rain and fallen supports. Her fingers bled from grasping the rough ceiling grates but she was determined to make it to the medical regeneration pod. She wasn't sure how to work the machine but it was the only chance her companion had.

Against her chest she felt the thrum of his heartbeat growing weaker and the fear of feeling it cease altogether drove her on. She dug in her fingers and pulled them to the intersection where she stopped to get her bearings. The pall of smoke from the lower deck made her choke and she quickly pushed off and launched them through, blindly grasping at the grating to turn them toward the medical bay. Kayla squeezed her eyes shut but the smoke still burned, and it took a moment before she could open them to squint forward at their destination. What she saw nearly broke her heart.

The door to the medical bay had been bent out of its track, and through the opening she saw that a support beam had fallen and completely crushed the pod.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Can we get a goddamn break here?!" The marine felt burning in the back of her throat but forced her emotions down. Hanging from the ceiling she forced her brain to think of any alternative but kept coming around full circle – Kh'aan was dying and the only means of saving him was destroyed. She clutched him to her chest while her toes gripped the grating, and the first cold fingers of despair started to sweep all hope away when suddenly the ship jarred as though something had collided with it. Screeching metal filled her ears and her first thought was of the 'Arbitrator'.

Military training kicked in full force and Sergeant Victor quickly secured her hold on the hunter, pulling them back to the central junction. She peered forward to the control room to see that the impact had given the crack in the viewport just enough incentive to completely cross the glass, and in the seconds that she watched more cracking echoed to her ears. Without thinking she pushed off from the ceiling with her charge held tightly in her grip and sailed back through the smoke away from the control room, her hands stopping them against the downed support. The cracking noise grew louder and she knew that little time remained. Turning their bodies upright, Kayla hung by one hand from the ceiling and raised Kh'aan's hand to activate the door to his armory. She had no idea if the room was structurally stable enough to protect them if the forward glass blew, but thought it was guaranteed to be more secure than the corridor. _Not to mention access to weapons if what hit us turns out to be his brother._ The thought of a fight surged more adrenaline through her veins and she shouted in triumph when the door hissed open.

Several small blades floated through the door and she batted them away, nicking her arm in the process before pushing forward into the weapons room. The marine quickly secured the door behind them and moved to the center of the ceiling, the hunter cradled protectively between her body and the grating. Mere seconds later she heard a loud crash and the ship rocked from a fresh explosion as the control room window shattered. She held her breath and waited for the vacuum of space to reach them, hearing equipment in the corridor banging around as it got sucked out of the breach.

"Stay sealed, stay sealed…" She repeated the mantra to herself while staring at the door, waiting for the cold hand of death to sneak in and steal what air they had left. A long moment passed before she finally exhaled, thankful for some luck. From through the door she heard the occasional tap of something hitting the walls but otherwise the rush of air had ceased. Unconsciously she raised a hand to touch the hunter's face, still holding him tightly against her chest.

"We're ok. Stay with me. We're ok"

After several minutes she remembered the jarring motion and screech of metal. She swiveled her head back and forth looking for a weapon in easy reach. He had an arsenal of strange metal objects intricately placed on stands and hooks, but the closest was a giant spear that she knew she'd never be able to use if they had full gravity. She was just trying to figure out how to reach for it and hold the hunter when another impact vibrated through the ship and she felt the rocking motion halt altogether.

"Unbelievable...no break at all!"

The need for haste made the soldier leave her companion floating while she quickly grasped the spear and yanked it from the wall. It was a solid object, not like the extendable weapon that the hunter had used against her on Jurnada, and she hoped that it had a far enough reach to at least allow her to put up a fight. Grasping the weapon tightly she pushed back to the ceiling and guided Kh'aan to the far corner. The marine strained her senses and felt vibrations through the bulkheads – someone or something was on the engineering level. The realization that they had been caught in such a weakened state made her growl, and she found the strength to flip the hunter around and wedge him against the ceiling. She draped his arms around her neck and held him against her back, the touch sending fire across her skin, and wedged her feet against the bulkheads to effectively lock Kh'aan's limp body behind hers. She might not be able to launch an attack from this position, but if they were high enough at least she might be able to defend them.

Kayla took a deep calming breath and raised her hand again to touch the face of the unconscious hunter behind her – his skin was ice cold. She leaned back for a moment and felt the light passing of his breath across her neck. "Stay with me, Kh'aan. They won't get us without a fight."

The marine listened intently as the footsteps drew closer, and then a muffled banging vibrated through the walls. She imagined their pursuer crashing through every room in search of them and gripped the spear so tightly that her knuckles were white with the strain. She took a few tentative swings with the weapon to make sure that she could use it effectively and then reset her feet. For a brief moment she bowed her head, and then laughed at the irony. _No sane gods would inflict this much pain on their children if they were worth praying to, so I won't. Just keep your gates ready for whoever comes through that door._

The heavy footsteps stopped outside of the weapons room. _Grav shoes, you tricky bastard._ The marine ground her teeth at the thought that their enemy would probably just open the door and let the vacuum of space do the job, but moments later she heard another rush of air in the corridor. The door hissed open and she held her breath but they were not swept away.

A large hunter stepped into the armory and peered up at them through the emotionless eyes of its mask. Kayla growled threateningly and raised the spear aggressively; though she knew it was practically futile she was determined to go down swinging. The hunter reached forward and she lashed out with the spear, putting all of her strength into the move to make the hit count in weightlessness. The hunter deflected the weapon easily and again reached for them. Unable to leave her perch without dropping Kh'aan, the marine began stabbing the spear down at their attacker, their enemy forced to dance back and forth to avoid a strike. One jab nicked the hunter's shoulder and it roared in surprise. She smiled for a moment at inflicting a wound when it suddenly jumped and snared her foot. Kayla kicked relentlessly, her hands releasing the spear to cling to the ceiling. The hunter's grip tightened and she snarled feeling Kh'aan slip behind her. She closed her eyes and threw her leg from the hip; the force of the movement made the hunter release her and her bare foot collided with its chin. The creature roared and stepped back, reaching for something on its belt. Kayla did not have time to react when it jumped forward again and she felt the prick of a needle in her leg. Numbness spread quickly and she felt the heavy tranquilizer flow through her veins. Falling victim to the darkness she landed one last kick to their enemy's chest.

"Won't…let…you…"

########

Several hours passed in frustration for Shl'nar and his small crew. They had spent quite some time isolated from each other and dealing with the failure of their mission before Shl'nar finally called everyone back to the command deck. The aide was pacing when the healer and technicians entered, and a glance from Ti'nuk told them how close he was to explosion. Mr'aal sighed quietly, knowing that the usually stoic hunter must be thoroughly overwhelmed to have been reduced to such a state.

"What are your thoughts, honored warrior?"

Shl'nar took several deep breaths before facing his crew. Their wary eyes told him of their apprehension and made him pause to breathe some more before speaking. "The time has come to assess our situation. Our mission as we agreed was to find the Firstborn before the Arbitrator, but we have since lost all hope of achieving our goal. We have tracked the emissions from his ship to no avail and we have searched the far reaches of this star system with no trace of his direction. Fleeing from Kh'val has thrown us further off of Kh'aan's trail and now we have no idea which direction to turn. I am at a loss and open to your suggestions."

The aide turned to stare out of the viewport while the others pondered his words. Fh'zaan spoke first.

"Honored warrior, are we sure that we have no other way to find the Firstborn?"

Shl'nar shook his head, exchanging a glance with Mr'aal before answering. "We have exhausted all options. Ti'nuk and I have recalibrated our sensors to detect everything from waste streams to fuel emissions and have come up empty. Mr'aal, have you any other ideas?"

The ancient healer bowed his head sadly. "No. I have searched through our course one hundred times and have found nothing new that could assist us." He did not mention that he had once again been studying the strange nebula, but a glance from the aide told him that Shl'nar suspected as much.

A heavy silence filled the room before the group finally began to disperse. Shl'nar instructed the technicians to prepare the ship for their return journey and then followed Mr'aal to the medical bay. Once inside he voiced his suspicion.

"Any new information on that phenomenon, healer?" His voice gave away his disapproval and he did not miss the look of shame on Mr'aal's face.

The healer sighed and turned to his workstation. "No, honored warrior. I have found nothing that could…" The healer paused and stared at the image. "It has changed."

Shl'nar's curiosity overrode his impatience and he stepped forward to peer over the healer's shoulder. "What has changed?" The nebula looked the same in his estimation and he watched the healer point to a small dark spot.

"That was not there before." Mr'aal input several commands and checked the scan over the past hour. Within the time that the crew had been gathered on the command deck a strange gravitational flux distorted space between their ship and the nebula. It scrambled a section of the scan for several seconds and then disappeared, leaving the smudge now seen close to the phenomenon. "Did you see that distortion?"

Shl'nar felt a tingle on his spine and leaned forward intently. "I think so…enhance the sensors." The image enlarged several times and both Yautja gasped in surprise at what they saw: a ship adrift on the periphery of the nebula. Mr'aal and Shl'nar exchanged excited glances before the aide turned and ran from the bay, shouting over his shoulder.

"Send the feed to Ti'nuk, now!"

Mr'aal entered the commands, his eyes never leaving the image. _May the gods favor us; let it be Kh'aan. _

########

An hour later the bright nebula loomed large in their view, completely dwarfing both ships as the Elder's vessel approached. All of Shl'nar's team stood in command, their tension stifling the air. Ti'nuk scanned the vessel and barked information over his shoulder.

"I am detecting two life signs – one very weak. The ship is heavily damaged; the power core will breach soon."

Shl'nar's eyes shot to the pilot. "How soon?" Ti'nuk read further.

"Within an hour. We must move quickly."

Time seemed to drag as they grew closer to the drifting vessel. For several tense minutes they watched the pilot attempt to latch onto Kh'aan's airlock. After missing three times he managed to lock the causeway over the hatch, but the rocking of the ship violently broke the seal. Shl'nar placed a hand on Ti'nuk's shoulder.

"It is alright. Take your time and try again." His calm after being so tightly wound relaxed the others and they each muttered words of encouragement to the pilot. Ti'nuk had the tube in perfect position once again when they heard a muffled explosion and looked up to see Kh'aan's forward viewport shatter. They stared at the breach in dismay waiting for the evidence of their failure. Sin'kaj broke the silence.

"Did anyone see a body?"

"No," the others answered in unison. Ti'nuk did not wait for further instruction. The tremors in his hands faded and the pilot fit the causeway extension to the other airlock swiftly, locking the clamps the moment he felt the other ship's movement affect their systems. The Elder's vessel shook for a few moments before stabilizing, its thrusters ceasing the rolling drift of Kh'aan's ship. Ti'nuk sat back and took a breath, feeling the aide squeeze his shoulder.

"We are locked. Core breach in less than one half hour."

Shl'nar felt hope returning and nodded before turning to the technicians and healer. "Mr'aal, prepare the medical bay and regeneration module - I fear we will need it. Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj, you will come with me. If they are still alive we will need to seal his ship from the forward breach before we can get them out." The aide nodded to his newly faithful crew before turning to the pilot. "Prepare to get us out of here the moment we have them on board."

The hunters scattered to exact a dangerous rescue effort. Shl'nar and the technicians, wearing their environmental mesh and breathing masks, crossed the causeway to the airlock and paused. The aide entered several sequences into his wrist computer but could not gain access to the airlock controls. Motioning to the technicians he stepped back while they cut through the access panel. After what seemed like an eternity they managed to breach the locks and the hatch fell open. The three hunters stepped into the tiny airlock and closed the door behind them, welding a tentative seal to keep it closed when they breached the interior vacuum. They immediately felt weightless and activated their grav treads before proceeding. The inner door opened silently and they felt a brief pull as the airlock lost atmosphere before stepping through into the engineering deck.

The technicians swore at once and immediately agreed that there was no chance of saving the ship. They cleared a path through broken supports, conduits and electronics to the access stairs, and then past them to the power core. Fh'zaan stopped a short distance from the core and hung his head, turning back without a word. Shl'nar stopped him with a hand to his shoulder but the technician grunted a negative.

"It is beyond repair. I simply wanted to check." He met the aide's eyes. "We need to hurry."

Shl'nar nodded and they rushed up the access stairs. The first sight that met their eyes was the door to the medical bay and Shl'nar checked the room quickly. A signal came through to him from the pilot.

"_I have scanned his vessel. The life signs are in the weapons room"_

Shl'nar acknowledged and turned to the rear corridor. A jumble of debris was piled against the railing blocking his way, apparently jammed there when the breach sucked the atmosphere and everything else out of the ship. The aide turned toward the control room and saw that the technicians had managed to dislodge the door from its housing and slide it shut; they were now welding around the edges.

"Ti'nuk."

"_I am here."_

"Access the computer systems and reset environmental control."

"_Accessing...stand by"_

A long moment followed before Shl'nar heard the ventilation system power up. As he felt the fresh air blow across his skin the aide noticed a draft blowing in the direction of the training room. "The observation dome must have a breach as well. We have to hurry."

Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj joined him at the central juncture and the senior technician echoed his theory. "We have sealed the control room for now but I believe that there is another breach. This minimal atmosphere will hold only for a short while."

Shl'nar nodded. "Return to the ship and bring two carriers. We know that one of them is injured. I will bring them to the access stairs but I will need your assistance getting them down to the lower deck." The techs nodded before dashing back to their ship.

Shl'nar pushed his way through the debris blocking the armory. After several failed attempts to activate the access panel the aide simply disabled it with his wrist blades. A cascade of sparks rose from the busted panel as the door slid open. He stepped across the threshold to immediately see two sets of vastly different feet. Following them upwards the aide was shocked to see the human wedged in a corner of the ceiling, seeming to hold the Firstborn up as well. Shl'nar noticed right away that Kh'aan was severely injured, but the human was in no better shape. The aide had no time to study the female when a spear swung down before his face. He deflected the attack and dodged to the side again as she jabbed the weapon down at him. Several moments of dodging ensued in which he felt further damaging vibrations through the ship. In his distraction the human managed to stab his shoulder and the aide roared.

"**We have no time for this, ooman!" **

Squaring his stance, Shl'nar jumped up to ensnare the human's foot and tugged, trying to pull them both down. The female quickly dropped her weapon and tried in vain to shake off his grip but the aide squeezed tighter.

"**Come down here you confounded ooman, I will not harm you."**

The human managed to free her foot from his grasp and swing it forward to strike beneath his jaw and rattle the aide's teeth. His communicator beeped.

"_Shl'nar, we have the carriers. We must go now!"_

Out of time, the aide reached into his medical pouch and pulled out an injector. When the female kicked out at him again he jumped forward and plunged the needle into her leg. The tranquilizer quickly subdued the human and Shl'nar pushed her away from the Firstborn. Kh'aan was barely breathing and covered in blood, both the human's and his own. Shl'nar grasped his shoulders and carefully maneuvered him out of the armory and over the pile of debris to the access stairs, where Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj pulled him down and strapped him to the carrier. Shl'nar made his way back to the armory and the floating unconscious human. His mind warred over what had just occurred but a loud crack shut down his thoughts, and the aide grasped the female around the waist and quickly made his way to the access stairs. As he passed her down to the others he calculated the time in his head.

"Take them to Mr'aal immediately and tell Ti'nuk to be ready. I am going to get as many of his possessions as I can before the vessel explodes."

"His possessions, Shl'nar?" Fh'zaan gave him an incredulous look before respectfully lowering his eyes. "Are they more important than getting away safely?"

"If everything, your weapons, possessions, trophies, everything that stood as testament to your years as a hunter were about to be destroyed forever, would you not want to try to save at least something?"

The technician nodded sadly. "You have mere minutes, honored warrior. Be swift."

They watched the aide disappear from the railing before pushing their charges to the airlock. With atmosphere partially reestablished it was easy to maneuver them through the hatch and across the causeway, but they nearly forgot about the return to full gravity in their haste. After nearly dropping Kh'aan they finally made it to the medical bay and the waiting healer.

Shl'nar went directly to Kh'aan's trophy room. He knew that the hunter locked his treasures against theft, and after several unsuccessful attempts realized that he could never breach the door. A muffled explosion vibrated through the bulkheads and the aide grunted once before hurrying to the armory instead. Filling his arms with as many weapons as he could carry, he ran back down the access stairs into thickening smoke and blindly made his way back to the airlock. Another muffled bang shook the hatch as he attempted to close it and the aide did not bother to seal the outer door before running through and disengaging the causeway.

"Ti'nuk, I am on board. Move us away now!"

Shl'nar felt the vessel lurch under his feet and peered through the small window, watching as they pulled away from Kh'aan's ship. Moments later he saw a tiny spark of light through the open airlock hatch before the ship exploded in a bright ball of flame. The blast shook their vessel for a moment, and when the aide looked again nothing remained but a few bits of floating debris.

Shl'nar deposited the Firstborn's possessions in an empty chamber before hurrying to the medical bay. "Kh'aan will not be happy."

########

Fh'zaan lowered the Firstborn into the regeneration module while the junior technician placed the human on an examination platform. The ancient healer stepped forward to begin the process when a muffled explosion reached their ears and the ship rocked beneath their feet. Sin'kaj hurried to the small viewport.

"His ship is gone! We made it out just in time!"

Fh'zaan cracked his knuckles quietly. "Correction – we **found** them just in time."

They gazed at the Firstborn for another moment before turning to leave. Mr'aal quickly activated the pod and waited for it to finish the analysis, but a beep from the device startled him and a low growl escaped his throat.

"He is dead."

The technicians stopped halfway through the door. "What!"

"The Firstborn is dead." Mr'aal punched in several commands. "It will take a moment to …" A roar from the doorway made him turn as Shl'nar stormed into the bay.

"That cannot be! Not when we have only just found him!"

Mr'aal took in the defeat on their faces and raised his hands beseechingly. "Calm yourselves. This is not the end. Remember, the module will heal him if it has been less than one day. He was breathing before, yes?" The aide nodded. "Then he will be fine; the process will simply take longer." In answer to his words the module beeped again.

Recalibration Complete

Tissue Damage – 79%

Organ Damage – 76%

Estimated Repair Duration – 19.5 hours

Mr'aal sighed and released the breath he'd been holding. "He can be saved, honored warrior. Our quest was not in vain."

The others nodded in acknowledgement before Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj headed to the command deck to inform the pilot. Shl'nar stepped around the module to the human and was joined a moment later by Mr'aal.

"I wonder how they survived," he asked quietly.

"The ooman did, Mr'aal." Shl'nar leaned against a counter, his eyes not leaving the female. "Kh'aan was unconscious when I found them but she was not."

The ancient healer turned to ask a question and saw a bloody gash on the aide's shoulder. He picked up a hand-held device and scanned it over the wound – the skin began to close almost instantly. Shl'nar glanced at the injury before looking at the human once again.

"The ship was a waste of destruction when we entered; even the atmospheric conditioners were offline. By the time I made it to the weapons chamber we had reestablished the environmental controls but still had no gravity. When I finally entered the room I saw that the female had Kh'aan's unconscious body held protectively behind her, wedged in the highest corner of the ceiling." The aide laughed quietly. "I have never feared an ooman in my life, Mr'aal, but I did at that moment."

They both studied the human again. When Sin'kaj had laid her on the platform they had immediately noticed the blood on his arms and flipped her over. The female's back was a charred bloody mess, appearing to have been burned by an explosion. The garment she wore was fused to her skin along the edges of the injury and had been irritated further by contact with Kh'aan's body. In addition to her back she was riddled with cuts along her arms and legs, and her fingers and toes were ragged and bloody.

"I do not know how she was able to function with such extensive damage, and I have no idea how she got them into his weapons room, but that ooman was not to be trifled with when I found them. She attacked me!"

Mr'aal had finished with Shl'nar's injury and was replacing unit in its cradle when he turned abruptly. "Attacked you?"

The aide nodded, a grin lighting his features. "I thought I was imagining things until she stabbed me with one of his spears. I think that Kh'aan must have told her about the Arbitrator and she thought that I was Kh'val. I had to incapacitate her to get them out. She **defended **him, Mr'aal…this ooman defended a Yautja. I feel that if I had been Kh'val, she would have died defending him." The aide tapped his mandibles together in thought. "I still do not believe it."

The ancient healer studied the human with new appreciation. "Then perhaps the Firstborn was not so insane in his quest after all."

Shl'nar nodded and stepped away to the module to see how extensive Kh'aan's injuries were. A disappointed grunt from Mr'aal drew his attention.

"You gave her too much of the sedative, honored warrior. She will be unconscious for nearly as long as Kh'aan."

Shl'nar growled. "I did not have time to check the dosage, Mr'aal. She was trying to kill me and the ship was about to explode." He reined in his aggravation when the healer shot him an amused look.

"I did not mean to chastise. I simply mention that she will not wake for some time. Luckily you did not give her too much of the wrong sedative," Mr'aal chuckled, "or the Firstborn might have had reason to attack you."

Shl'nar did not know whether to laugh or be angry with the healer's humor, and was about to retort when Ti'nuk hailed him.

"_I am detecting a vessel on an intercept course. It will reach us in less than four hours."_

Shl'nar and Mr'aal exchanged glances before the aide left for the command deck. The ancient healer set about the task of tending to the human's wounds, knowing that she might need the module to heal completely. _There is no rest for weary souls. _


	16. Chapter 16

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 16 – No Time_

Kh'val growled at the tiny green moon as his ship passed it for what felt like the hundredth time. His course out of the star system had gone from tedious to downright mind numbing and his sensors failed to detect anything of use. The continued lack of progress was grating on his last nerve and the lost of so much time doing nothing threatened to snap his tenuous hold on sanity.

The Arbitrator slammed his fist on the controls and set the ship on auto-pilot before storming to the kehrite to release some of his tension. After a short round of maneuvers that he knew would pain him later, Kh'val heard an alarm and rushed to the control room. After deactivating the signal from the sensor array, he noticed that a strange distortion had been detected on the edge of the grid. He quickly sat at the controls and enhanced the display, isolating the strange readings for further analysis. After several minutes of studying the scan he was surprised to learn that it was an explosion in the next sector. Kh'val's memory immediately flashed to the vortex devouring his brother's ship, and he wasted no time setting a course for the coordinates of the detonation. For a brief moment it occurred to him that if Kh'aan's ship had indeed exploded then he was probably dead, but the Arbitrator was not taking a chance on losing him again.

An hour later he crossed the gravitational threshold marking the boundary of the previous star system. _Goodbye, little green moon…and good riddance! _Kh'val recalibrated his sensors and reacquired a lock on the source of the distortion. An instant later the scan detected a mysterious ship at the same coordinates. He tried to magnify further but the sensors were at their limit; he knew the vessel was intact, nothing more. He stared at the indicator, his mind warring over the possibility that Kh'aan might have survived. After several moments of debate the Arbitrator increased his speed to maximum and ran to the engineering deck. He reached into the small space behind the main drive and reconnected several power couplings – a trick that had worked many times before to add a slight increase to the power output. Plugging in the last conduit he quickly returned to the control room and noted a 15% increase in his speed. Though not the boost he'd hoped for, Kh'val was satisfied that he would catch up with his quarry and left the control room to prepare.

########

Shl'nar hurried to the command deck and met the technicians in the corridor.

"Ti'nuk told us of the vessel." Fh'zaan stated. "We will prepare for a swift departure if necessary."

Shl'nar nodded before entering command. The pilot sat hunched over the sensor board, and as the aide approached he motioned to a small indicator moving rapidly toward their position.

"I can not be certain from this distance," Ti'nuk began, "but my instincts tell me that the Arbitrator has found us."

Shl'nar growled, unable to concede to the possibility so soon. "How could he when we have not seen him on our sensors since yesterday. How would he find us so fast?" A moment passed and he caught an incredulous look from the pilot before smacking his own forehead.

"The explosion! How could I be so stupid?"

"Do not feel shame, honored warrior." Ti'nuk tried to calm the aide. "As you said, we had no idea of his location, so how would we know that Kh'val would be close enough to detect the destruction of the Firstborn's vessel?" Ti'nuk leaned over the sensors again. "My instincts could be wrong. Perhaps it is another ship."

Shl'nar took a deep breath and made a mental note to mention Ti'nuk's tenacious and unwavering loyalty to the Council. "No. I believe you are right, I simply wish it were not true." The aide leaned over the sensors and growled. "He is too close for us to make an escape undetected. We need somewhere to hide."

The pilot immediately grunted. "We are in between star systems, Shl'nar. There is nothing around close enough but that stupid anomaly." He glanced over his shoulder to see the aide's eyes grow wide. Shl'nar reached forward to call the medical bay.

"Mr'aal, please come to command."

"_I am on my way."_

Shl'nar stood quietly while Ti'nuk held his curious tongue. His perception of this mission had changed drastically over the past few days and he found that he wished to assist the Firstborn as much as the Elder's aide. When the technicians told him of their near loss and the state of the human, he realized that he was caught up in possibly the most life-altering event to happen to their clan in generations. It was not something that a simple pilot wanted to miss, and solidified his resolve to assist in any way possible.

A few minutes later the ancient healer shuffled through the door wringing his hands. "How may I help you, honored warrior?"

Shl'nar chuckled at Mr'aal's obvious discomfort. "Your nebula may help us, Honored Healer."

Mr'aal could not contain his surprise and glanced at the pilot. "The nebula? I do not understand." The aide quickly explained their situation.

"And our only option is the phenomenon before us." Shl'nar watched the healer's eyes. "What can you tell me about it?"

Mr'aal was silent for several minutes before he finally shook his head sadly. "I fear that I have no information that could assist us." He heard the pilot growl. "As much as I have studied the phenomenon, I was unable to scan the interior – I have only been able to approximate its size and estimate the path of its movement. Our sensors are unable to penetrate the outer layers."

Healer and pilot studied the aide while he stared at the glowing nebula before them. After a long moment he suddenly slammed his palm on the console.

"That's it!"

He turned to the others and saw their confusion. "Don't you see? If we cannot scan the interior, then Kh'val should not be able to either. We should be able to avoid detection in there. Ti'nuk, take us in!"

The pilot hesitated, exchanging a wary glance with Mr'aal. "The utmost respect, Shl'nar, but if we are unable to scan the phenomenon, how will we know if our ship can withstand it? Radiation, gravitational forces…anything could disable or destroy us if we proceed unprepared."

Shl'nar placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "I fear that we have no choice. If Kh'val finds Kh'aan and the human on board with us we will all be sentenced for treason. Our only chance is the anomaly. If the gods favor us we should be fine." He glanced down and gestured to the controls. "Take us in."

Ti'nuk grunted and flexed his fingers before engaging the engines. Mr'aal took the seat beside him, his eyes glued to the sensor readings. After a deep breath he nodded to the pilot and the ship eased forward.

An hour later they had made little progress at their moderate speed. The nebula loomed before them like an enormous orange cloud, but no matter how close it looked they could not seem to reach it. Ti'nuk grumbled constantly under his breath while Shl'nar continually analyzed and recalculated the distance. Meanwhile the ancient healer monitored the sensors for any dangerous readings, and kept an eye on the blip indicating their pursuer.

Finally the aide growled and sat back, turning his attention to the healer. "Mr'aal, you said that you had estimated the size of the nebula. Can you use that to figure out how close we are?"

The healer nodded and entered a few sequences into the computer. Shl'nar held his impatient tongue as the minutes ticked by until finally the healer grunted at something on his screen.

"Very odd." He seemed to be talking to himself. "The distance seems to fluctuate. If I did not know any better, I would think that it is moving away from us." He looked up at the aide. "I suggest that we increase our speed to maximum."

Shl'nar stared at him quizzically before gesturing to the pilot. "What makes you think that this cloud of space gas would be deliberately avoiding us?"

Mr'aal's color deepened in his embarrassment. "I do not, Shl'nar. It was only a trick of the sensors and the phenomenon's dimensions. Simply put, it may be more vast than it appears and the gaseous emissions may be more concentrated than we initially thought. We will need to wait and see." _I am only a healer, you know. This is my first foray into navigational sensor analysis._

Ti'nuk spoke while not taking his eyes from the controls. "Have you seen anything that could tell us more about the nebula's composition?"

"Unfortunately, no." The healer's words came out in a frustrated sigh. "I am having difficulty with the sensors. They cannot maintain a lock on the particles to take any readings."

The pilot sighed and resumed his silence while Shl'nar rose to look over the healer's shoulder, reaching forward to make a few changes to the view. "As far as I can tell this is our approximate position. If I am correct, we should enter the phenomenon in less than another hour."

The others were about to concede to his reasoning when the ship suddenly rocked under their feet and they were immediately engulfed in an orange haze. Shl'nar rose from the floor where he was thrown and joined the others staring out of the forward viewport. The nebula seemed to rise up around them, blotting out all other space until they could not tell fore from aft. Ti'nuk reduced their speed to minimum and they inched forward warily, the pilot's increasing paranoia filtering over to affect them all.

After staring out of the viewport in wonder and increasing unease, the aide lowered his eyes to check their progress and could not hold back a shout of surprise when he realized that they'd been travelling blindly for over an hour. He quickly ordered the pilot to throttle back and peered out at the surrounding vapor.

"Do you see anything that would help us to navigate, Ti'nuk?" He refused to look at the pilot, afraid that his growing panic would be visible in his eyes. He heard a grunt and glanced sideways, his eyes meeting the healer's and mirroring the dismay he saw there.

"I see nothing." Ti'nuk could not contain his disappointment and turned to face the aide. "We might as well be flying through Grosk Stew for all that we can see out there. It would probably be best if we held our position, wherever we are."

Mr'aal was nodding his agreement while intently studying the sensor readouts. "As far as I can tell we have been traveling in one general direction. My only explanation for our lack of progress is that the anomaly is traveling in the same direction. Whether caught in its path or simply on the same route, we will not find our way out without altering our course." He looked up. "That is if you happen to know which direction to choose." The three glanced up through the viewport before the ancient healer carefully rose to his feet.

"I must check on our charges. I will continue my analysis in the medical bay."

Shl'nar took the empty seat and drummed his talons on the console. "I cannot argue with you, Ti'nuk. It would be best if we remained here for now." The pilot nodded and disengaged the engines. "Without a sense of direction we could circle in here until our fuel cells run out, or abruptly burst from the phenomenon right into Kh'val's path. He should be out there by now, and our only hope is to wait for him to lose interest."

Ti'nuk grunted in agreement. "Leaving us with the task of finding a suitable location to hide the Firstborn." He glanced at the aide. "What exactly are you planning to do with them now that they are no longer lost?"

Shl'nar closed his eyes and leaned backwards, the angle cracking his spine. "I have no idea. Leaving them on any world without transport would not be very good assistance, but to attempt to commandeer a ship for them would be impossible to do undetected. At this point our only choice is to wait until they wake. Kh'aan would more than likely want a hand in deciding their fate."

Ti'nuk sighed quietly before the two hunters resumed their vigil over the sensors.

########

The Arbitrator allowed himself the time to rest and see to his basic needs before returning to check his progress. After two hours he hoped to have the vessel within range for communication, but instead found that he was approaching a strange orange nebula. He frowned and sat at the controls. After checking his course and the previous position of the vessel he confirmed that he was in the right location, but there was no ship to be found.

"Impossible!" Kh'val enhanced the scan but aside from the anomaly the sector was empty; he snarled his frustration at the sensor grid. "Even potentially dead you try my patience, brother."

As he drew closer to the phenomenon Kh'val felt an itch of familiarity that he could not quite place. He approached a point that he approximated to be the surface of the nebula and scanned the interior. After a few minutes of grumbling he sat back and stared at the undulating cloud of gasses, aggravated that his sensors could not penetrate the vapor. His unfocussed gaze observed the orange cloud while he pondered the next course of action, and he nearly missed a flickering shimmer across the 'surface'. Instinct kicked in before the Arbitrator realized what was happening, and he barely managed to reverse engines before a bulge of the anomaly expanded toward him. His ship whined at the force on his engines but he managed to escape the extending nodule before it could surround him. Kh'val sat back, his breathing short from the rush, and watched as the mass faded back into the whole of the nebula. Memory immediately filled in the blanks.

"A _Mhneschk_! And I thought that encountering one of your kind happened only once in a lifetime. Today must be my lucky day." He studied the phenomenon for a longer moment before quickly setting a course for the clan ship. "Unfortunately that would also mean that you have Kh'aan in your bulbous gullet, and I cannot allow you to keep him." As much a possibility as it was, the Arbitrator could not accept that his brother might be dead. He saluted the drifting anomaly before maximizing his speed. Dueling with such an entity would take much more fuel than he currently had, and he made sure to contact the clan ship and request that an emissary meet him halfway with fresh fuel cells. Though he had already extrapolated the anomaly's course and could easily find it, Kh'val did not want to give it much time with his prize. From his recollection, ships that entered a Mhneschk never emerged. _Either you are more foolhardy than I thought brother, or you simply cannot get a break._


	17. Chapter 17

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 17 – Not In Kansas_

Shl'nar sat in the command chair idly monitoring the sensors. Four hours earlier he had instructed the crew to get some rest while he remained on watch. They had grumbled defiantly for several minutes before Mr'aal voiced that they would probably not get another chance. His logic finally sent the technicians and pilot to their chambers, and after rerouting the module control system from the medical bay to command, Mr'aal had followed suit.

The aide felt fatigue weighing on his body but could not get his mind to relax. Between the condition of the Firstborn, Kh'val's pursuit and now being engulfed by the strange nebula, he could not seem to halt the procession of questions long enough to find any answers._ How long can we stay within this phenomenon?_ _Kh'val is out there somewhere just waiting for us to emerge, and at some point we will have to. What will happen once Kh'aan wakes? Will he accept being temporarily left without a transport, or will he insist on risking all of our lives by staying on board? If Kh'val suspects that we are hiding him, our lives are already at risk. To make matters worse, I have no doubt that High Elder Kh'alik is probably trying to contact me. What will I tell him when we regain communication? __If__ we regain communication?_

His musings were interrupted by a quiet swish as the door to command opened, admitting a very distracted apprentice. Shl'nar remained silent and watched Sin'kaj slowly approach the forward viewport. The young technician stood and stared at the nebula for several minutes before he growled and turned to leave, coming face to face with the aide.

"Forgive me for disturbing you, honored warrior. I did not see you." The apprentice backed toward the door but stopped at Shl'nar's words.

"Not at all, Sin'kaj." He motioned to the empty seat. "Please, join me."

The tech paused for a moment before he inclined his head respectfully and sat down. "I did not know that you were still monitoring." Though quickly grasping that Shl'nar was different from most hunters that he'd encountered, Sin'kaj could not help but feel the weight of his presence as aide to the High Elder.

Shl'nar observed the apprentice, taking in his nervous state before further relaxing his position in the command chair. He did not miss the look of surprise when he propped his feet on the console. "Are you having trouble sleeping as well; too energized from our day to relax?"

_As well? _Sin'kaj stared at him with shock clear on his features, and his anxiety slowly began to cool. "I am having difficulty resting, yes." The tech leaned forward to place his elbows on the console but caught himself and sat back. He could tell that Shl'nar was trying to put him at ease but it took several deep breaths before he could speak. "I suppose I am confused. When assigned to this mission I thought that I understood our purpose, but now I am not so certain. I realize that we are not following High Elder Kh'alik's orders but for some reason it does not bother me…and I fear that it should." He turned his eyes to the aide. "Do you understand what I mean? I cannot explain it, even to myself."

Shl'nar chuckled as he nodded. "It is funny that our anxiety travels from different directions, and yet we arrive at the same conclusion. I understand completely." He turned his attention back to the nebula and continued. "I have always been faithful to the ways of our culture, carrying out my duties for the honor of myself, the High Elder, and all of our clan. I have never chosen to act outside of our traditions, until the day that we found the Firstborn."

The aide shuddered at the still disturbing memory, a tremor that was not missed by Sin'kaj. "They said that he was found with the ooman, that they were nearly frozen."

Shl'nar grunted. "Unfortunately, yes. We found them in a completely innocent yet very suggestive position that I fear caused a lapse in the High Elder's judgment. He instructed us to leave the ooman there when we retrieved Kh'aan, a decision that did not sit well with me. When he decided to go back for her I saw no other choice; in order to preserve my own honor I needed to do what I thought was right, and I have held fast to that ideal throughout our journey. At this point it is the only motivation that I have left."

He turned toward the young tech and watched as his words were absorbed. Sin'kaj stared at the console for a long moment before slowly nodding his head. "To do what is right; strange how the distinction between right and wrong can become so muddied."

"Your meaning?"

The technician sat up straight and composed his words carefully. He knew that voicing an opinion contrary to their cultural traditions could get him into a great deal of trouble, but Shl'nar's relaxed demeanor enticed the words to spill forth. "High Elder Kh'alik sent us to retrieve the Firstborn and ooman…"

"Only the Firstborn," Shl'nar regretfully corrected.

"Only…?" Sin'kaj paused to digest that revelation before he continued. "He sent us to retrieve **the Firstborn** and return to the clan ship, which I expect is in accord with the Council. But if they have sent an Arbitrator after him, what exactly do they expect us to do if we 'find' him? Turn him over for punishment? The punishment for cavorting with an ooman is death, but to my knowledge Kh'aan has been saved from meeting the Black Warrior by that ooman. I cannot feel hatred toward the female knowing that she saved his life, and yet I know that my opinion will not sit well with the Council if they ever find out." He traced the engravings on the console with a talon before raising his eyes to Shl'nar. "Something tells me that the High Elder is not thinking of what is right, and will punish us for doing so if we are caught."

The aide was quiet for a moment in contemplation. "Have you discussed this with Fh'zaan?"

Sin'kaj grunted. "Master Fh'zaan keeps his thoughts to himself, honored warrior. He is of the old way in that respect." He chuckled and finally leaned back to prop his feet on the console as well. "He cannot hide everything from me, though. We have worked together for too long and I have learned to read his emotions well. I can tell that he is deeply troubled by current events, but I believe that he feels as we do – that we must do what is right."

Shl'nar felt pleased with the technician's assessment. "You are certain where his loyalties lie?"

The apprentice waved a hand noncommittally. "Not exactly certain, but in his actions, his moods, even in his silence I can tell that he battles the same questions and has reached the same conclusion. After everything that happened today he has been even more pensive than usual, and several times I heard him muttering to himself, only to slam down his tools and take a deep breath before returning to work." His expression turned thoughtful. "I do not think that he would continue with his duties if he believed that our mission was misguided."

Shl'nar gazed thoughtfully at the apprentice before nodding in agreement. "I doubt that any of us would. It pleases me to know that we are all…_united_ in this adventure. I cannot tell you how difficult my task would be if I still needed to hide my purpose from you." Indeed, the aide felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders after speaking to the young engineer. "Perhaps we will find success."

Sin'kaj grinned. "If we do not, let us hope that our chosen ideal will preserve our honor, not stain it.

########

Kh'val shuffled back to the control room and collapsed into the command chair twirling a small data disc in his fingers. After stretching his remaining fuel to the limit to save time meeting the envoy, he had then wasted three hours tearing through the database looking for one old personal log. Before ripping the control panel to shreds in frustration he had remembered that it was kept separately in the trophy room. He'd then wasted another hour searching every hiding place until he realized that the infernal disc was proudly on display, and he had walked by it a dozen times.

"You had better be worth it," he growled to the miniscule piece of silicon.

_Personal log: I never believed in keeping an account of my travels, but recent events require documenting. I have been lost within a gaseous anomaly for three days. I pursued a ship of Bad Bloods into a small blue nebula intent on completing my assignment, and have subsequently found myself adrift within it. I have traveled in circles for all this time with no sense of direction. All sensors are malfunctioning and the internal diagnostic indicates that the hull is beginning to degrade. Not a fitting end for what should have been a legendary career. _

_Personal log: Through suffering comes enlightenment. My sensors detect nothing, but through the viewport I can see stars. I have spent several hours attempting to push through the boundary of this anomaly but have met with unusual resistance. I now believe that this gaseous cloud is more than just a nebula, and it has SWALLOWED MY SHIP! I must get out of here before this thing digests me. The hull continues to deteriorate and I can taste a contaminant in the air that burns my lungs. It has been five days. I suspect that I will be dead in ten if I do not escape._

_Personal log: *static** alive, it is hungry, and it does not like to lose a meal **static** pursued by an angry blue cloud of gas **static** laugh if I had the time **static** it may overtake me at any moment but **static** broke free after I realized **static** frequencies to half power and **static** full cloak for fifteen seconds **static** all power to the forward **static** almost everything that I had but I managed to **static** I don't have time to replace the **static** dissolved **static**…_

Kh'val ended playback. He suddenly remembered that day with perfect clarity, right up to the moment when he reversed the synch polarity as the nebula tried to engulf him again. A surge of lightning had crossed the surface of the anomaly and it had immediately ended pursuit. A smile crossed the Arbitrator's features and he opened the recent sensor logs. It was now simply a matter of comparing the old beast to the new one and correlating the weakness.

Two hours later he sat back in satisfaction. Regardless of the differences between the two anomalies, Kh'val was certain that he could enter, navigate and escape with little difficulty and his quarry would be none the wiser. He stood to leave the control room for a much needed meal when a beep indicated an incoming transmission. Resuming his seat he brought up the feed to see a very anxious technician.

"_Arbitrator Kh'val, we will rendezvous with you in one hour. Refitting of your fuel cells will take approximately thirty minutes. Acknowledge."_

Kh'val input several codes to prepare the ship for docking. "Understood. I will prepare the cells for removal."

The technician glanced to his side and nodded to an unseen observer before speaking again. _"Please deactivate your vessel upon docking to facilitate transfer. All equipment is inspected by trained technicians. Faulty equipment must be reported to the Engineering Council. The Engineering Council is not responsible for misuse of or damage to equipment after installation. Thank you."_

Kh'val snorted at the screen while the tech rattled off the endless disclaimer. A recent addition to any supply distributor's repertoire, Kh'val suspected that someone on the Engineering Council had spent too much time on the human planet; only humans would protect themselves from responsibility for their own mistakes. He hurried to the engineering deck and powered down all but the last active fuel cell before returning to the control room. Through the viewport he saw the transport vessel approaching and after a last check of the control panel returned to the airlock. The pilot of the transport expertly linked both ships with little jarring and Kh'val set the locking clamps. He waited a moment for the pressure to equalize, and when he saw a shadow approach from the other side opened the hatch. His shock was unmistakable when he came face to face with High Elder Kh'alik.

"What are you doing here?" He immediately bit his tongue but it was too late.

Kh'alik's expression froze the blood in Kh'val's veins. "That is for me to ask, Arbitrator." His eyes blazed with unmasked fury. "You were instructed to return to the clan ship, and yet only hours later I receive a requisition for fuel cells to be brought to you. Did you think that I would not find out? Do you dare defy my order to return?"

Kh'val tried to defend himself. "Of course not, High Elder, but I believe that I have found him."

Kh'alik cut off the expected words with a snort of disgust. "And next you will say that you have lost him again." He raised a hand to silence the Arbitrator's protests. "I will hear no more. Your ship will be refitted with the new cells and then we will return to the clan ship."

"With all due respect, Elder Kh'alik, if I do not resume the hunt now he may escape."

Kh'alik brushed past him and headed for the upper level of the vessel. "It is of lesser concern at the moment, and the order comes not from me, but from the Grand Matron." As he reached the access stair he turned back to the astonished hunter. "See to your ship quickly, Kh'val. She is expecting us to be there for her arrival."

The Arbitrator watched his sire ascend to the upper level, a roar of outrage caught in his throat. A sound from the airlock made him whip around to the unsuspecting technicians, one of which wound up in a heap on the floor from the force of Kh'val's fist. The second tech picked up the dropped fuel cell and struggled to carry them both into the ship, while his companion writhed on the floor clutching the shattered lower half of his face. Kh'val growled and clenched his fists before leading the way to the engines.

_I have no time for this!_

########

Mr'aal slowly opened his eyes and stared at the bulkhead before him in confusion. It took a moment to remember that he had retired to his chambers to sleep, rather than resting in his chair in the medical bay. The ancient healer chuckled as he rose from his sleeping pallet. _Perhaps I am getting too old for adventures._ He refreshed his senses in the small adjoining bathing chamber before returning to check on his patients.

Shuffling through the corridors, the healer reflected on their injuries. The Firstborn's visible wounds were slowly closing but his internal injuries would take a longer time to repair. The healer had spent hours using the hand-held regenerator to tend to the female's injury, but the device had limited power and he knew that only the module could heal her completely. Mr'aal stepped into the bay and glanced at the female before approaching the pod.

"You are healing nicely, Firstborn, thanks to your companion. Unfortunately she will take quite a bit more time. I hope that you awaken together…I do not look forward to not being able to communicate with her."

Mr'aal bustled around the module trying to cut off that train of thought. Having served the High Elders for many generations, he had heard much about humans but never encountered one, nor had any reason to learn their language. As a result he now found himself at a disappointing loss. He longed to speak with the female and hear about their adventure from her firsthand, but he knew that he would need someone to translate for him, sufficiently limiting the personal questions he wanted to ask. _It is for the best. I doubt that an ooman female would wish to speak with such an old unfamiliar creature._

Stepping away from the module, Mr'aal approached the examination platform. The human's color had improved since they had been brought on board, but the wound on her back was still very fresh. From the base of her neck to the end of her spine the tissue of her back had been completely destroyed by fire. He knew that such an extensive wound could potentially hide more serious injury beneath, but with no knowledge of human anatomy the healer did not want to attempt to check on his own. He hoped that her injuries would not worsen before the Firstborn vacated the module.

Peeling back the old dressing, Mr'aal spread a clear gel on the damaged tissue before covering it with a new bandage. He then smoothed down the edges of the dressing before pulling the thermal skin back up to cover the human. To his surprise she stirred under his touch and he stepped back quickly. A low moan emitted from the female and she fidgeted slightly on the platform. The healer took a step forward in the fear that she would roll off, but froze when her head slowly turned to face him.

The first sensation to cross Kayla's awareness was searing pain in her back, instantly soothed by a cooling substance. Her mind struggled up out of its drugged haze and she felt a bandage being applied over the slowly numbing area. She heard someone shuffling around nearby and after an extended effort managed to open her eyes, seeing a strange but standard-looking counter. _Looks medicinal…ha! I said medicinal. Woo, what'd they give me? _Her back and shoulders screamed in agony as she lifted and turned her head around. After an effort to focus she gasped at the sight of the oldest looking hands she'd ever seen. Her blurry eyes followed the hands upwards and met the gaze of a very ancient hunter. Though she still floated in that realm between drugged stupor and clear consciousness, seeing the creature before her rapidly awakened her memory and she asked the first question that sprung to mind.

"Kh'aan?"

Mr'aal's surprise could not be masked. Not only did he understand the first word she spoke, but her immediate concern for the Firstborn left him speechless. He blinked several times before stepping out of her line of sight and pointing to the module behind him.

"**The Firstborn is well, ooman."** He knew that she could not understand his words but hoped that she would see what he meant. He watched as the human's eyes grew wide at the sight of the module, and quickly stepped forward when she tried to rise. Mr'aal struggled to hold her down without touching her injury, which she seemed to have forgotten. He grasped her forearms and tried to hold her still. **"You must remain immobile. You will further damage yourself. Please, stop struggling. **_**Paya**_**, she cannot understand me."**

Kayla struggled to sit up but the old creature had a death grip on her arms. "Is he ok? Let me go! I'm not an invalid, just beaten to hell, let go of me!" She twisted her shoulders to wrench her arm free and the movement sent lightning scattering across her back. Overwhelmed by the pain the marine abruptly collapsed, panting at the effort to keep from screaming. She felt the old hunter's hands leave her but only had the strength to turn her head around to face to pod again. He stood before her with a surprisingly concerned expression on his features, clicking in their odd language that she was slowly wishing she could understand.

"I don't understand you." She murmured quietly. The old one grunted and shook his head. "Do you understand me?" Kayla repeated the question several times but the response did not change. "You don't understand me. Great."

Mr'aal watched as the female's gaze moved past him to stare at the module. He could see in her eyes that she wished to know the status of the Firstborn, and decided to at least try to tell her. She looked up when he stepped forward, and the healer slowly pointed to the module.

"**Kh'aan."**

Kayla frowned. "Kh'aan?"

Mr'aal nodded. He pointed again and then tapped the module. _The Firstborn must have used the module on his ship to heal her injuries. Perhaps she will make the connection. _

Kayla studied the old hunter for several minutes while he repeated Kh'aan's name and tapped the pod. She knew that she was missing a very important point but her drugged system was not yet at peak performance. _Kh'aan, the pod. What am I missing? It's something simple. _ "Of course!" She laughed when the old one flinched. _Kh'aan healed me in one of those things, so they must be healing him. I supposed that would make the old one some sort of medic. _She met the startled gaze of the healer and nodded.

Mr'aal pressed his hands together, pleased that he had managed to communicate with her. The news that her companion would recover seemed to be all that the human wanted, and an instant later she was fast asleep. The healer shuffled over and pulled the thermal skin up to cover her shoulders before turning to the module.

"**I suspect, Firstborn, that things are about to get very interesting."**


	18. Chapter 18

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 18 – The Waiting Game_

A shimmering orange haze filled the forward viewport when Ti'nuk entered the command deck. The sight was a chilling reminder of their dire situation, but still had a flowing quality that gave him an odd feeling of tranquility. Untrusting of the sensation, the pilot immediately growled defiantly at the nebula. _I will find no peace until we leave this place._ He turned to the command chair and stopped in his tracks, a small laugh expelling his previous dread. The High Elder's aide was sprawled in the seat, his feet on the console and his head lolling backwards. Shl'nar's left arm rested across his stomach, his right hung limply with his talons dragging the floor, and his mandibles twitched while he lightly snored. The pilot reigned in his amusement and quietly approached the slumbering hunter. A light touch on the shoulder jolted Shl'nar out of sleep and he tumbled out of the command chair to the floor. Ti'nuk could not hold back any longer and laughed heartily while helping the aide to his feet.

"I see that you finally chose to rest, honored warrior."

Shl'nar grunted while trying to rise, disorientation making his movements sluggish. "I suppose so. How long have I been asleep?"

"I only arrived a few moments ago," Ti'nuk replied, "so I am unsure."

The aide stretched the knots from his spine and a large yawn escaped him. "I hope that I have not neglected my duties for very long."

Ti'nuk snorted before attempting a stern tone. "On the contrary, your lack of attention is unacceptable. I relieve you of your duties until you are properly rested, as ruled by the code of the Council of Elders."

Shl'nar stared at him with a small measure of alarm until he noticed the mirthful glimmer in the pilot's eyes. He made an elaborate show of bowing respectfully. "As you wish. I cannot in good conscience defy the will of the Council." Both laughed at the irony of that statement before the aide allowed himself to be shoved out of the door. "You will inform me if anything occurs?"

Ti'nuk nodded. "Of course, honored warrior. Now, be gone before I have you escorted to your chambers."

Shl'nar's tired laugh echoed down the corridor and the pilot had to smile. _I would never have gotten away with that under any other circumstance._

The aide paused halfway to his chambers and doubled back to the medical bay. He did not expect the healer to be awake, and so when the door opened he was surprised to see Mr'aal shuffling quickly toward him.

"How may I help you, Shl'nar?" He whispered.

"Why are you…?" Shl'nar's words were cut off by a hiss from the healer who led him out of the room altogether. Once in the corridor Mr'aal gestured for him to continue. "Why must we speak out here?"

"The ooman awakened briefly and aggravated her injuries. She has only just fallen back to sleep and I do not wish to disturb her. She will require the module to heal and I do not believe it wise for her to be active just yet." Mr'aal wrung his hands while frequently glancing back at the door.

"The female awakened? But you said that she would be unconscious for some time." Shl'nar moved to enter the bay but was blocked by the healer's arm.

"She should be, but I suspect that there is much that we do not understand, and now is not the time to find out." He mustered his most stern gaze, to which the aide raised his hands in submission.

Shl'nar was bursting with curiosity but knew when to concede to the healer. "Very well. Inform me if their conditions change. Ti'nuk has returned to Command so I am going to try to rest for a while." He gave the door one last look before heading down the corridor.

Mr'aal waited until he had turned a corner before reentering the room. Just as he suspected, the human had heard Shl'nar's entrance and shifted on the exam bed causing the thermal skin to fall to the floor. He discarded the dirty skin and placed a clean one across her shoulders before opening a small drawer and removing another hand-held device. In all of the excitement the ancient healer had not yet taken a full scan of the human, and his curiosity would no longer be denied. It took a few minutes and several passes to obtain a complete image, and he then uploaded the data into the database. Before getting absorbed in the foreign readings he took one last look at the module's progress. Kh'aan's injuries were healing as anticipated, and the console indicated several more hours remained before the process would be complete. Satisfied that he had time to waste, Mr'aal shuffled to his chair and eagerly opened the human's bio-readings.

The first thing to draw his attention was the sight of her injury; in the scan it appeared bright as though giving off intense heat. He imagined that it was much more painful than the human demonstrated. Other areas on her body also showed bright spots of injury, but they appeared internal and the healer felt it best to leave them to the module. He altered the viewing spectrum and her bone structure was brought into stark relief on the display. Immediately he noticed how similarly humans and Yautja were built – the only difference seeming to be in scale. He enhanced the magnification on a whim and focused on her throat. The difference in their methods of communication piqued his curiosity, and he shifted the spectrums until he found something vastly different from his own kind. Their speech, based on clicks, chirps and other throaty sounds, emanated from a cluster of bone-like protrusions attached to muscles and nerves. He saw in the human that there was not a cluster of bones but a muscular tube around the passage to her lungs, and surmised that air flow combined with their strange fleshy mouths facilitated human speech.

"Fascinating!"

Mr'aal pulled up a scan of the Firstborn and displayed the readings side-by-side. _Obviously different cranial structure, but very similar bone alignment; well yes, he is male and she is female; our females are similarly built, but larger; what does that cluster of nerves do, I wonder? _He lost all track of time studying the similarities and differences between them, and was thoroughly startled when the door hissed open, admitting Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj. The technicians hid their amusement when the healer jumped out of his seat.

"Forgive us for startling you, Mr'aal." The master engineer inclined his head respectfully.

The healer tried to compose himself. "Oh, no need. I was simply…absorbed." He heard a muffled laugh from the apprentice. "What brings you to see me?"

Sin'kaj was halfway across the room to the module. "We were on our way back to the engineering deck and thought to check on our passengers."

Fh'zaan nodded in agreement. "How are they?"

Mr'aal's eyes darted to the human and he saw her fingers twitch. _She is waking up again!_ He hissed quietly to draw the attention of the engineers and motioned them to the door. They exchanged a glance before following him out.

"Forgive me, but the ooman is in a delicate state and your presence might awaken her." He glanced at the door again before continuing. "She will require the module to heal properly. As for the Firstborn, the module is repairing him on schedule. It will be several hours before the process is complete."

Sin'kaj bowed shamefully. "I did not mean to disturb her, healer."

Mr'aal chuffed under his breath. "It is alright. For an ooman her hearing is exceptionally keen, even in sleep."

Fh'zaan snorted. "I thought oomans' senses were weak? It is what the hunters have always said."

The healer's features spread into a grin. "Perhaps they underestimate their prey, or this female is an exception. I do not know."

The technicians took one last look at the door before heading to the access stairs. Fh'zaan looked back. "Will you inform us when Kh'aan regains consciousness?"

Mr'aal inclined his head. "Of course." He watched them descend to the engineering deck before returning to the medical bay. _Such curiosity. They may say that they are concerned for the Firstborn, but I can sense their heightened awareness of the human. Only Kh'aan and Shl'nar have encountered one before. It is no wonder we are all intrigued. _He settled into his seat and resumed studying the female's bio-scan.

########

The Arbitrator's patience was running extremely thin. The remaining technician was finding it very difficult to replace the fuel cells due to the damage received from impacts with Kh'aan's ship, and Kh'alik was not receptive to the excuses.

"Simply put, Kh'val, your vessel is in need of an upgrade that you continually refuse to have outfitted. Using Kh'aan as an excuse is dishonorable at best, immature at worst."

Kh'val squeezed his eyes shut and addressed his sire through clenched teeth. "With all due respect, High Elder, you were not here so you are uninformed." He heard the Elder growl. "You may be displeased with me if you wish, but it will not change the fact that Kh'aan rammed me on not one, but two occasions, and my ship is performing at less than optimal as a result." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kh'alik's fists clench.

The High Elder, stubborn to the last, remained blinded by pride where his Firstborn was concerned. Even in the midst of his current disgrace, Kh'alik refused to believe that Kh'aan could be belligerent enough to intentionally collide with another vessel. "You would do well to control your accusations, Arbitrator. It is unbecoming and dishonorable to lie to the High Elder."

Kh'val spun to his feet in an instant, shocking the technician who dropped a coupling with a loud _Bang_. "You would accuse me of lying? I am an Arbitrator; you might as well call me a Bad Blood if you would make such an accusation." He stepped into the Elder's personal space. "If you were anyone else I would teach you a lesson for questioning my honor."

Kh'alik's eyes flashed and he snarled before reigning in his anger. "Remember your place, Kh'val; Step Back." They stood nearly tusk to tusk for a long moment before a growl rumbled through the Arbitrator and he turned back to the fuel cells. The Elder quietly accepted this brief victory. "I will return in a few minutes and I expect this procedure to be completed."

Kh'val watched him leave the area and a moment later heard the airlock hiss open and shut. His anger boiling too hot to contain, he immediately spun and lashed out at the closest thing. The second technician found himself on the floor with searing pain through his face – Kh'val shattered two of his mandibles with a well placed and thunderous fist. The Arbitrator glared down at the cowering tech for a long moment before picking him up by his tresses and dragging him to the airlock.

"See to your face," he snarled, throwing the tech off of his ship. The hatch hissed shut and he reveled in a moment of solitude, knowing that it was short-lived. _He will make me want to kill him. Is that his plan? Unhinge me just in time to make the Grand Matron take pity on Kh…his __**Firstborn**__? That dishonored pathetic disgrace?! _He forcefully banged the back of his head against the hatch several times until the coil of burning rage lessened in intensity. _I see your game, High Elder, and I will not play it by your rules. In the end __you__ will be disgraced as well as your Firstborn, and the Grand Matron will have no choice but to heed my counsel. _

With the technician gone Kh'val was able to work at his own pace, and quickly completed replacing the cells. He hauled the dead cells through the airlock to the supply vessel, dumping them just inside the adjoining door before turning around. He heard the heavy footfalls of the High Elder approaching the airlock and quickly raced back to lockdown his ship. By the time Kh'alik entered the vessel Kh'val had secured his trophy room, private chambers and all but the most general information in his database. If the Elder attempted to access any hidden files he would come up empty, and the Arbitrator had no intention of allowing his sire to access the sensor logs. As beneficial as revealing Shl'nar's treachery would be, now was not the opportune moment.

Kh'val was seated in the command chair when Kh'alik entered the control room. "The replacement procedure has been completed, High Elder. We can be underway as soon as the systems are primed." Kh'alik said nothing, instead standing in the doorway staring out of the forward viewport. Kh'val choked on a snarl and downloaded the destination coordinates from the supply ship. After a few more minutes he powered up the engines, and with a long look in the opposite direction began the tedious journey of following the other vessel back to the clan ship.

Kh'alik, stoic and oblivious to the untrained eye, secretly watched his offspring intently. Rage flowed from Kh'val's pores like water and the Elder was not above the realization that something was amiss with his Thirdborn. The only reason he had chosen to accompany the supply vessel was to find out what Kh'val was up to, and now he noticed subtle twitches in the Arbitrator that gave away his extreme discomfort. Kh'alik's eyes glanced over the control panel and he noted several displays that were blank, where before had been sensor readings and other database information. _What are you hiding from me, Kh'val? Until I find out, you will not rid yourself of me._

Two hours passed in a heavy silence, the Arbitrator too furious to trust his own words while the High Elder fastidiously studied every move the other made. After an eternity of holding vengeful thoughts at bay, Kh'val finally realized that there was one thing that he did wish to know.

"If I may ask, High Elder, why is the Grand Matron involved in this?" He suspected her reasons but hoped to glean some useful information from his sire.

Elder Kh'alik snorted but his features remained impassive. "It is not my place to question the Grand Matron. For whatever reason, she has seen fit to take over the investigation into Kh'aan's disappearance. All decisions regarding the Firstborn will go through her for final approval." The thought made Kh'alik's blood boil. "It is her decision to make, and as High Elder I must concede to it."

Kh'val felt a spark of hope that was strengthened by the Elder's frustrated tone. "How odd that she would take such an interest in his whereabouts. I suppose it is due to the coming Announcement Ceremony…"

A growl from the Elder cut off Kh'val's words, but the seed of distrust had been planted and found its mark. The Arbitrator secretly smiled at Kh'alik's increasing unease.

"The Grand Matron's motives are not to be questioned, not by myself and certainly not by you." The Elder's tone left no room for argument and they lapsed into another uncomfortable silence.

Just as the Arbitrator felt his self-control cracking, a communication came through from the supply vessel. The pilot on the screen was flanked by the two technicians Kh'val had damaged, and he felt a knot grow in his stomach.

"_I have an incoming transmission from the Grand Matron, High Elder. Shall I put her through?"_

Kh'alik grunted in surprise but quickly collected himself. "Yes. Of course."

The pilot nodded and reached forward to link to the communications array. The two technicians flanking him, each with heavy bandages holding their shattered mandibles, exchanged a glance and smiled – a gesture not lost on the Arbitrator – before their images faded to reveal the Grand Matron. Her disappointment could not be mistaken.

"_High Elder, why does it not surprise me that I must hunt you down? I am curious why you are halfway across the next galaxy when I expressly requested your presence at my arrival."_

High Elder Kh'alik's discomfort was obvious from the musk in the air, and the Arbitrator eagerly awaited the next turn of events. Kh'val tried to be invisible and listen unobserved but Grand Matron Sh'aan's eyes found him, and her fury was unmasked in the brief glance. The Elder's hand fell heavily to his shoulder.

"I had to tie up one loose end, Grand Matron. We will return in plenty of time to greet you."

The regal female wore a sinister expression. _ "I sincerely doubt that at your current speed. You see, we encountered a strange anomaly that briefly increased our power output. We will arrive in approximately 8 hours."_ She smiled through the feed at the High Elder's expression. _"I look forward to seeing you then, Kh'alik."_ Her gaze passed between them both. _"Arbitrator."_ She nodded once to each and the transmission ended.

Kh'alik was silent for several minutes before he reached forward to the console and opened a channel to the supply vessel. Kh'val briefly saw his hand shaking before he clenched it into a fist.

"_Yes, High Elder?"_

"You will return to the clan ship as ordered. We have been summoned with all haste and must journey ahead of you." The technician seemed unsurprised.

"_Understood."_

Kh'alik turned fierce eyes to the Arbitrator, and his will was not to be questioned. "Get us out of here, NOW!"

########

Ti'nuk sat back from the console, a quiet snarl escaping from between his clenched mandibles. For two hours he'd been trying to get some sort of reading from the sensors other than "systems malfunction", but only managed to overload one of the relays. The frustrated pilot leaned back from the console and stretched his cramped body. He squeezed his eyes shut until bright flares burst in his vision, and then eased them open to see…more brightness. He shot forward in the seat and peered out at the nebula. There again to the right he saw what appeared to be a bright spot at some distance from their position. It was not solid, more a white cloud embedded in the orange haze, but the more he blinked, the clearer it became. _Have I finally lost my mind?_ He blindly raised a hand to the console and opened communication with the medical bay.

"Mr'aal, are you there?"

A muffled curse came through. "_Confounded thing is too loud! Yes, Ti'nuk, I am here."_

The pilot heard shuffling movement and then Mr'aal hissed angrily. _"She is stirring. Make this quick."_

Ti'nuk held back a snort. "Perhaps you should come to Command. I fear this may not be a short discussion." He heard more rustling and a very foreign-sounding groan, presumably from the human, before the healer answered.

"_I will be right there."_

The pilot resumed staring at the bright anomaly-within-an-anomaly before them. If forced to describe the sight, he would have said that it resembled seeing bone through a ragged tear in the skin and the thought sent a chill down his spine. He shook off the sensation when the ancient healer shuffled into the room.

"Yes, Ti'nuk, what is it?"

"What do you see out there?"

Mr'aal grunted in displeasure. "Endless nebula," he responded without looking. "What else is there?"

Ti'nuk pointed to the bright mass. "Do you see that?"

This time the healer glanced up through the viewport. "Perhaps you have been staring at this phenomenon for far too…" Mr'aal's blinked in surprise when he spotted what the pilot was referring to. "What is that?"

Ti'nuk sighed. "Good, I am not imagining it."

Mr'aal eased into the adjacent seat. "Or we both are. I ask again; do you know what it is?"

"I have no idea. I had been trying not to look out there, and when I finally did glance up I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."

Several minutes passed in silence while they observed the distant glow. Finally the healer voiced what the pilot had been wary to notice. "It seems as though we are moving toward it."

"If we are then it is due to drift since our engines are offline. But you are right, it does appear that way."

Their unease increased over the next two hours as the distant unknown grew larger but no closer. Ti'nuk attempted to acquire some sort of sensor reading to no avail, while Mr'aal recorded their findings in the database manually. Something itched continually at the back of his mind, but he was too absorbed in their task to figure out what it was. He cocked his head to the side, peering at the strange anomaly.

"Would you say that it appears solid?"

The pilot grunted. "At times; it seems to phase in and out of the gasses, so either it is a solid trapped within this ether or a gas flowing through it." He glanced up again and snarled. "We are drifting away from it."

Mr'aal studied the anomaly for a moment and nodded. "Yes, when I entered it was further to the right, but now it is on the opposite side."

They exchanged a wary glance before the pilot reached forward to the comm. unit. "Ti'nuk to Fh'zaan."

"I am here." Healer and pilot spun in their seats to see the technicians in the doorway. "We have a problem."

Mr'aal nodded to the pilot to take the lead. Ti'nuk straightened in his seat before addressing the techs. "It appears that we have many. What have you found?"

Fh'zaan stepped forward and accessed several diagnostics. "Simply put, the hull is degrading."

"What?"

Sin'kaj joined them at the console. "We have detected several weaknesses in the plating, and when we probed further it indicated that something eating away at the hull."

Fh'zaan nodded his agreement. "It is occurring slowly but steadily. I estimate that at the current rate of decay, this vessel will be irreparably compromised in six to eight days."

Ti'nuk and Mr'aal both laughed out loud. "Six to eight days?! I thought you were going to say hours." The pilot released a clenched fist. "Days are no matter." Mr'aal grunted in agreement.

Sin'kaj shook his head and pointed out the obvious. "If we can find a way out of this anomaly. You forget – we are lost, without functioning sensors, and with no sense of distance or direction." Ti'nuk groaned.

"Furthermore," Fh'zaan interjected, "the fuel exhaust system is becoming clogged with strange filaments that harden when they come into contact with our atmosphere. If we attempt to engage the engines for an extended period they will overheat, with disastrous consequences."

Ti'nuk growled. "Well what do you suggest? We cannot simply drift and wait to disintegrate."

Their voices rose rapidly in the heat of the debate, and Mr'aal realized sadly that they could not make this decision on their own. "We must wake Shl'nar."

The others fell silent. Ti'nuk immediately shook his head forcefully. "He needs to rest. He will be no good to us asleep on his feet."

"There is no longer time to rest." Fh'zaan's tone revealed the severity of their situation and the others reluctantly agreed. Mr'aal reached forward to the comm. system.

"Command to Shl'nar."

"No need for that, Mr'aal. I am here."

Once again the healer nearly jumped out of his skin. The crew turned to see the aide standing in the door. He took in their distressed expressions. "Have I missed something?"

They quickly filled him in on their recent developments. Fh'zaan was adamant that their engine trouble could not be ignored, but when Mr'aal pointed out the strange anomaly the aide was torn between priorities. After a few minutes of thought he turned to the engineers.

"Fh'zaan, how long could we maintain power?"

The technicians conversed quietly before he answered. "No longer than ten to fifteen minutes at a time. With the exhaust system not functioning, we must not let the power cells overheat or they will rupture."

The aide paced through the cramped area working out possibilities in his head. Finally he turned, determination etched into his features. "If we are to escape this nebula intact, we need a point of reference to escape from, agreed? This new anomaly, whatever it is, may be the only one we find. I suggest that we move closer and from there plot our escape route." He looked to the pilot and then to Fh'zaan; both signaled their agreement. "Good, then let's hope this works."

Immediately the technicians seemed to fall into their own private world. The master engineer had a quick discussion with the apprentice and pilot before racing out of the room. Mr'aal and Shl'nar stepped out of the way and stood in the doorway, watching in increasing awe as the crew attempted to work magic with their limited resources.

Without navigational sensors Ti'nuk was forced to guide the vessel manually, and activated hand controls that had not been used in generations. After a few adjustments he nodded to Sin'kaj.

"Ready."

The apprentice grunted acknowledgement without looking. He stood before a panel along the rear wall that was covered in knobs, buttons and lights, and called to Fh'zaan. "We are ready."

A low hum rumbled through the bulkheads, but an instant later was drowned out by constant mutterings from the three technicians. Fh'zaan's voice sounded through the open comm. system instructing the apprentice to adjust settings. Sin'kaj's hands then flew across the board making rapid adjustments while he barked corrections over his shoulder to the pilot. Ti'nuk's usually rust-colored skin was white across his knuckles from his grip on the controls, and he strained to wrestle the ship into the proper alignments. Bit by agonizing bit the vessel eased forward. Each short burst of power gave them enough momentum to alter course, and after a few hours they managed to get close enough that the bright distortion filled their viewport.

Ti'nuk had just cracked his knuckles and gripped the controls for another run when the apprentice growled. They heard him mutter something into his small comm. unit, and a moment later Fh'zaan's defeated voice came through.

"That is it. We will get no more from the engines without blowing out the entire system. Power down."

Mr'aal sighed as he watched the technicians shut down. "I suppose it is better than nothing."

A heavy silence filled the room as they absorbed the situation. The Master Engineer entered command and immediately approached Sin'kaj, placing a firm hand on his shoulder that showed his pride in the apprentice. Shl'nar took a moment to compose his thoughts before addressing them all.

"Well done. It was a tricky maneuver with our vessel's limited capabilities, and yet you have managed to achieve the impossible, I think. Even if we have not reached our goal, at least we now have enough momentum in our drift…"

His words were cut off as the vessel lurched under their feet. The crew felt momentarily weightless before they were thrown from their positions, and then an instant later the ship stabilized to a gentle halt. Shl'nar scrambled to the healer's aid and helped him back to his seat before checking on the others. Sin'kaj was cradling his right wrist and Ti'nuk had a bruise appearing on his forehead, but otherwise they were uninjured. A groan from Fh'zaan drew their attention to the doorway.

"Did we hit something?"

Ti'nuk shook the stars from his vision. "There is nothing in this nebula to hit." He looked up through the viewport and froze. "And I believe that we have hit _nothing_."

The others followed his gaze and stared in shock. Through the forward window they saw a vast emptiness. The orange cloud of the nebula surrounded them on all sides within the bubble, and in the center they saw a small, bright planetoid. The empty space had small bits of debris floating in it but was otherwise an undisturbed void, and the tiny planet/moon filled less than a quarter of the space.

"What are my eyes seeing?" Fh'zaan's usually stoic nature faltered under the weight of their new surroundings.

The others were equally enthralled, though the aide came to his senses first. "Is that a planet?"

Ti'nuk tried to contain his amazement while leaning forward to run a system check. "It certainly looks like one, though it is without a doubt the smallest planet that I have ever seen." He absently activated external sensors, only to gasp when they actually engaged.

"Sensors are functioning!"

Sin'kaj and Fh'zaan glanced at each other and then to the console. Sure enough the entire system seemed to be functioning normally. They quickly turned to the control board and checked the settings. The apprentice grunted in disbelief and Fh'zaan turned to the pilot.

"Ti'nuk, try to move us forward."

He looked at them quizzically for a moment before realizing what they meant. Switching from manual back to the navigational sensors, the pilot grinned when the system kicked in immediately. The vessel eased forward, though an alarm sounded indicating the blockage in the exhaust system. After the brief triumph Ti'nuk powered down and turned to the others.

"So we are able to move, and we are able to see. What now?"

Shl'nar contained his excitement. "I suggest we tend to the repairs first; assess the damage the nebula caused and clear the exhaust system."

Mr'aal's quiet voice interjected. "Should we take a look around and see exactly where we are?" An enthusiastic sound from the apprentice supported the idea. The aide could sense their curiosity but reason dictated that they take the proper steps to insure their safety.

"Not just yet. We don't want to damage the ship further before we've made repairs. Aside from that, it would be best to wait until Kh'aan has awakened. I'm sure that he would like to see this for himself before any decisions are made."

"See what?"

The five of them spun in unison, shock on their features, to see the Firstborn standing in the doorway. He appeared well rested, though a little frustrated, and after a quick glance through the viewport his confusion was clear.

"What did I miss?"

#####

**Greetings. Sorry for the delay. Life really loves to wear steel-toed boots, doesn't it? Has great aim, too. Hope you enjoy!

I apologize to anyone I ever secretly laughed at for saying that they "thrive on reviews". You're right, I was wrong...REVIEW, people!

Bear hugs and sloppy kisses from Da Cap'n!


	19. Chapter 19

***The chapter title says it all. Most humble apologies for the ridiculous delay, but aside from life wearing steel toed boots, the muse also went on vacation and left me with an inability to write anything other than stereo instructions. Couldn't rightly give you that. But SHAZAAM! Muse has returned and I hope that this chapter is worth the wait (I think so but I leave the final score for you to decide).

***A word about languages: Now that everyone is on the same ship, speech follows thusly: human talking to pred or preds to each other will be in regular text. Preds speaking in their language around human will be in **bold** text. Hope I don't confuse.

***Thanks to those who bugged me for an update. It was nice **and helpful** to know that the audience was still waiting. Enjoy! -Captain 'Realtors Suck Brass Balls' Razz

_**########**_

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 19 – Finally_

_Kh'aan's eyes opened to darkness and for a brief moment he thought that he'd been blinded. As his senses took notice of the surroundings he realized that he was under water…__cold__ water. He spun in place and frantically searched for the surface. Seeing light above his head, the hunter swam rapidly toward it feeling his lungs already protesting the lack of air. Suddenly a screech echoed through the water from below. He fought the urge to look back and kicked harder, abruptly crashing into a sheet of ice. He looked back and forth for a hole and to the right spotted a beam of sunlight. Kh'aan quickly swam over only to find that it was a weaker coating of ice, not the freedom he sought. He punched and clawed in an effort to make a crack but the ice might as well have been metal, and he growled his frustration at the clouds visible above. An instant later a shadow blocked the sky. He peered through the ice and was surprised to see a soldier in heavy armor – the first human he'd ever killed. The soldier pointed his weapon at the hole, the laser sight centering on Kh'aan's forehead. The hunter hovered transfixed as the human prepared to fire. Just as the soldier's finger squeezed the trigger, Kh'aan felt something grip his ankle from below and he was dragged back into darkness._

_He thrashed in the cold black water. The skeletal hand combined with the ear-piercing screeches around him left no doubt as to what creatures lurked below. Another forceful kick released the grip from his leg and he shot quickly toward the surface. He slammed head-first into the ice and again tried to punch his way through. A shadow passed over the hole and he looked up to see another human standing above; this time the soldier from the ice moon, holding a long blade in its hand that it raised menacingly as it stepped forward. The hunter, forgetting the terrors in the deep, pushed away from the hole as the blade descended; it pierced through the ice mere inches from his face. Kh'aan clenched a fist intending to fight his way out, when more spindly hands gripped his legs and once again dragged him into the depths._

_His lungs were burning and darkness clouded the corners of his vision. The hands scrambled up his legs as they pulled at him, and he thrashed in the water trying desperately to shake them off. After several bucking twists he managed to loosen their grip, and kicked at the hand on his ankle until he felt it crunch under his foot. The screeching grew louder as he swam for the surface, and he reached the hole to see another human on the other side – Kayla. The female held the same blade as her counterpart and used it to hack forcefully at the ice, the look in her eyes mirroring his panic. The blade made quick work of the crust and she abruptly stood, dropping her weapon to stomp and kick at the crack. With one final push her leg thrust through the hole, nearly kicking Kh'aan in the face. He reached up at the same time that she reached down and they struggled to pull him through the small opening. The hunter had just managed to squeeze his shoulders through the hole when a shadow passed over them. He looked up behind his companion to see the imposing figure of his brother. The Arbitrator sneered, and a split second later his wristblades ripped through Kayla's throat. She met his gaze as the life left her eyes, and he could not look away when her head slid forward and fell from her shoulders to roll across the ice._

"_NO!"_

_His roar rumbled through the ice around him, radiating cracks in a spindle around the hole. Kh'val stepped forward raising his blades, victory and satisfaction in every step. Kh'aan glanced sideways to see Kayla's empty eyes blink at him just as deadly hands returned his legs. As they pulled him down Kh'val lunged forward for the final strike, the blades aimed directly at his eyes…_

Kh'aan sat up in the module and collided soundly with the cover. Without waiting for it to drain, he forced the lid open and heaved out over the side. The common disorientation and nausea was compounded tenfold by his abrupt movement, and the moment his knees hit the floor he vomited. He braced his shaking hands as convulsions shook him from head to toe, and for a moment he could not tell up from down. A tremor began in his left hand and he clenched it into a fist, but the vibration traveled rapidly up his arm and down through his side. Another bout of heaves gripped him, but his balance became disrupted by the tremor through his leg and he fell over.

Kh'aan curled up in a ball and shook violently for several agonizing moments before the seizure faded. He rolled carefully to his knees and took several deep breaths before sitting up. Even with his eyes closed the room swam around him, and he pressed his talons into his fists to stave off another wave of nausea. He recited an old chant of meditation in his mind and forced his breathing to follow the cadence. By the end of the second verse he felt balanced enough to risk opening his eyes, and met the concerned gaze of a very relieved human.

"Welcome back."

Kayla's pained smile cut through his disorientation and he felt a little more strength flow back into his limbs as he slowly crawled over to her. He rose to rest his arms on the examination platform and immediately saw the bloody thermal skin covering her back. A small whine escaped his throat before he could stop it, and he saw her wince against her pain as she twisted her head around to face the counter.

"How bad is it?"

Kh'aan snorted, against the idea of disturbing the dressing to see the wound, but relented after she tried to reach it herself and he saw fresh blood seeping under the edge of the thermal skin. Resting a hand gently on her head he peeled slowly, the material releasing easily from the wound. He snarled at the mottled mess of tissue on her back and lamented his limited skills with her language.

"That bad, huh?"

He tapped his talons gently against her skull, surprised to feel a rumble of laughter flow through her. He owed her a description at least, but the words for that alone escaped him. He pulled the remainder of the thermal skin from the wound. It extended from below her neck to her lower back, but appeared to have spread inward from the outside edges. He had no doubt that the edges were burned, as he had seen burned human flesh before. It was the central region of her back that worried him, its mottled discoloration indicating infection beneath smooth, healed surface skin. _Someone used a hand-held. Thank Paya for the module or this would kill her._ Kh'aan felt the female attempting to move her head and applied slight pressure to keep her still. After a moment's consideration he climbed onto the counter. Carefully he eased his arms underneath Kayla's ribcage and thighs and lifted her from the platform. She went rigid at the movement and he felt her breath quicken, but she made no sound of discomfort. As quickly as possible, the hunter slipped from the counter and stepped around to lay her down again, this time facing outwards without having to turn her head. The moment she was settled she groaned.

"Please don't do that again. Thank you very much, but **please** don't ever do that again." Kayla's eyes watered as she looked up at him, the pain evident in the lines across her forehead. Kh'aan purred lightly and the human tried to smile.

"One more time," he promised. His companion nodded and Kh'aan stepped away from the platform to check the module. He felt Kayla's eyes on him as he set the recharge sequence. After a few moments the device beeped and indicated that the recharge would take one hour. Surprised at the short wait, he wondered what alterations had been made to the Elder's module, but shook away that curiosity in favor of another.

He walked back over to the human, pulled out a short stool and sat next to the platform. With time to waste he was curious about the events that lead them to this predicament, and hoped that Kayla felt well enough to explain.

"What happen?"

She met his gaze and frowned; he could see in her eyes that she was trying to piece the information together. After a moment the marine forced a breath out of her mouth, her puffed cheeks making Kh'aan chuckle. "All hell broke loose, that's what."

She proceeded to tell the hunter about their brush with death, and Kh'aan could not mask his surprise at knowing that she had been willing to fight his brother to protect him. The realization that his ship was probably destroyed made the hunter snarl, but the knowledge that they were alive mostly because of her quick thinking made loss of his vessel easier to accept.

"I don't know if it was destroyed," she insisted, reading the frown on his face. "I just know that there were fires on the lower deck, and the forward glass ruptured. The one who found us drugged me, so I don't remember any more."

Kh'aan could tell by her expression that she didn't like the idea of being incapacitated, a sentiment that he could thoroughly relate to. "Who?"

Kayla shrugged and winced. "I don't know. I thought it was your psycho brother until I woke up in here." She frowned. "He wouldn't bother healing me, would he?"

"No." Kh'aan knew for a fact that if Kh'val had found them, Kayla would be nothing more than a skull on his trophy wall by now. The question remained, however... "Who help you?"

The human grinned. "The oldest creature I've ever seen…of any species. I'd say he's half your height hunched over like he is, but his eyes are very gentle."

Kh'aan chuckled and shook his head. He knew exactly who she meant. "Mr'aal."

"What did you say?"

He met the soldier's gaze. "Mr'aal. Very old healer. Older than whole clan."

Kayla saw the mirth in his eyes fade to apprehension in an instant and wondered what he was thinking. She did not have long to wait. "Mr'aal serve High Elder."

"Your father…uh…sire?"

Kh'aan nodded. "Mr'aal here, sire here." He growled in frustration. "Sire not heal you; not allow."

Kayla reached a hand to his arm, trying not to show how much it hurt. "Then he's probably not here, right?"

Kh'aan tapped a talon against one of her thin human claws. "Right." He did not sound convinced.

They sat companionably, waiting for the module to finish charging. Kh'aan resumed looking over her injury while she tried to cheer him up with pointless banter about her life on the ice moon.

"You'd be surprised how many people they could squeeze into one of those tiny bunk rooms. I had to share with three others from my unit and the smell of their feet was awful!" She heard the hunter snort. "You've never smelled anything more horrible than corn chip…"

A beep from the module had Kh'aan on his feet and he hurried to the console. Quickly resetting the pod for another occupant, he crossed the room and knelt before Kayla.

"One more time?"

Kayla nodded, knowing that this would probably hurt as much as being turned around on the bed. "I'll live. Go for it."

Kh'aan snorted and rose to his feet. The thought of hurting her further made him hesitate for a moment before he carefully ease his arms under her legs and torso. He felt Kayla trembling, and a light sheen of moisture appeared on her skin. Taking a deep breath, Kh'aan lifted her from the platform and quickly turned toward the module. He tried to minimize the jostling effect of carrying her, but with each hiss from the human he winced and slowed his steps. ** "I am sorry, my friend. We are nearly there."**

He had just reached the side of the pod and leaned forward to lower her into it when the entire ship lurched beneath his feet. The hunter lost his balance and fell to his knees, watching horrified as Kayla's skull slammed into the edge of the module. She immediately went lip in his arms and blood began to drip from a smooth, deep gash in the side of her head. The jarring motion lasted only a moment but the damage had been done. Kh'aan swiftly regained his footing and lowered the human into the module, the need to be careful ignored in the wake of her fractured skull. He fit the mask to her face, rushed around to the console and quickly punched in the activation codes.

Unknown Life Form Detected

Recalibrating…Please Wait…

"**Pauk**!" Evidently his sire had never healed a human, and Kh'aan's impatience grew frantic as he waited. The sight of Kayla's blood pooling under her head made the hunter clenched his hands into fists against the unpleasant feeling coursing through him. The module abruptly beeped.

Error…

Non-living Entity Detected…

Recalibrating…Please Wait…

"**I am aware of that you stupid machine**!" He pounded a fist on the console and turned his back, the knowledge that Kayla was dead threatening to unhinge him. _It will heal her. __**She is dead!**__ It will heal her anyway!_ The computer beeped again and Kh'aan whirled around to the display.

Recalibration Complete

Tissue Damage – 65%

Organ Damage – 50%

Estimated Repair Duration – 10.0 hours

The hunter released the breath he'd been holding and shuffled around to the head of the module. He knelt and watched as it filled with the regenerative liquid and submerged the human. After several tense minutes he finally rose, resting a hand on the pod before turning to the door.

_Time to find out who is in command here._

########

Kh'aan stepped into the corridor and immediately froze. An eerie silence permeated the ship and put his senses on alert. When in service, the Elder's vessel was typically teeming with life – technicians, advisors, dignitaries from other clans; this lack of ambient noise was unsettling. Turning toward the access stairs and heading up to command, he tried to shake the feeling that something was very wrong. _Why would Mr'aal leave the medical bay unattended? Where is everyone? _At the upper landing he finally heard muffled voices coming from the control room and hurried toward the sound. Rounding a corner, he spotted a technician standing in the door to command and slowed his approach. _Is that Fh'zaan? He never leaves engineering._ As he stared, his eyes focused behind the tech to the strange sight through the viewport. For a moment he stood mesmerized; the tiny bright planet in a bubble of empty space would not seem so strange if not for the surrounding orange haze. As he stepped closer he heard the distinctive voice of the High Elder's aide, Shl'nar.

"…until Kh'aan has awakened. I'm sure that he would like to see this for himself before any decisions are made."

"See what?" Kh'aan stepped into command and met the astonished gazes of the crew, and his confusion could not be masked. "What did I miss?"

"Kh'aan!"

"You are awake!"

The hunter took an involuntary step back when the crew suddenly bombarded him from all sides with their cheerful greetings. He could not hide his surprise when the technicians each placed a hand on his shoulder and bowed respectfully. They seemed genuinely relieved to see him recovered, and he felt a moments shame that he had never truly paid attention to them before. As their voices rose in pitch in their exuberance, Kh'aan caught the eye of Mr'aal and the healer nodded.

"We are all pleased that you have fully recovered, Firstborn." The healer rose slowly from his seat. "I should check you over to ensure that there are no lingering effects from the process."

Shl'nar glanced at the healer, surprised that he would cut their reunion short, but before he could voice his opinion the Master Engineer nodded his agreement.

"Yes, and we should see to repairs at once." Fh'zaan stepped up to Kh'aan and bowed again. "It does me good to know that our efforts were not in vain, Firstborn. I am pleased that you are well." He exchanged a glance with his assistant before stepping out of the door.

Sin'kaj humbly approached, his eyes lowered. Kh'aan wondered what brought on such deference, but bit his tongue when the apprentice spoke. "I am honored to have been able to assist you, Firstborn. Paya blesses us with your speedy recovery." Without looking up he slipped past the hunter and out of the room. Kh'aan glanced over his shoulder at the departing engineers before turning a confused gaze to Shl'nar. The aide chuckled before nodding to the pilot.

"I will be in the medical bay if you need me, Ti'nuk."

The pilot nodded to Shl'nar before meeting Kh'aan's gaze. "You honor us all, Firstborn. I am proud to be a part of this mission, and vow to assist you in any way that I am able."

Kh'aan's eyes widened further, and in his astonishment he allowed the healer and aide to pull him from Command. Once in the corridor they began to assail him with questions but the hunter raised a hand to silence them.

"Please, tell me what is going on. What are you doing here? Where is here? What has happened?"

Shl'nar rested a hand on his shoulder. "I will explain all to you in due time Firstborn. First it would be best if you ate something, and allowed Mr'aal to see to the ooman."

Suddenly the healer growled. "That is what I forgot." He glanced up sheepishly. "I was in such a hurry to assist Ti'nuk, and so surprised by his discovery that I forgot to transfer module control to Command. I must prepare it for your companion."

For a moment Kh'aan's expression softened. "No need, Mr'aal. The module has charged and she is inside of it now, though a bit more injured."

Mr'aal paused in mid-step. "More injured? What has happened?"

"You tell me," the hunter replied with a bit of exasperation. "I was lowering her into the pod when the entire ship rocked and threw me to the ground. She hit her head on the side and…was knocked out. What has been happening?"

Shl'nar took a deep breath and gathered his words carefully. "It is a long story, Firstborn…"

"Please," Kh'aan could not stand the title any longer. "Do not call me that."

The aide's color deepened in embarrassment. "Forgive me. I have been surrounded by those who would call you nothing else, and I forgot that you are not particularly fond of your birthright. As I was saying, there is much for me to tell you. It has been a long week."

_**########**_

They stepped into the medical bay, and Mr'aal immediately approached the module. Though he knew that Kh'aan had been in possession of a similar device, he was surprised that the hunter had been able to access this one so quickly. The High Elder had made many modifications over the years, and the healer wondered if Kh'alik had informed his Firstborn, or if Kh'aan had simply been lucky enough to figure out the new configurations. As he glanced over the human in the pod he was startled by the enormous gash in the side of her head. Mr'aal glanced up and fully intended to ask what truly had happened, but Kh'aan was staring intently at the module and his concern was tangible. The ancient healer held his tongue and resumed checking the settings. _Knocked out, he said. The system would not register a 'non-living entity' if she were only knocked out. Thank Paya for the module or she would be dead, permanently._

Seated on the examination platform, Kh'aan vaguely heard Shl'nar speaking to him, but he could not take his eyes off of the pod. The longer he stared, the louder the sound became of her skull cracking, and it sent a chill to his bones. _I should not be so concerned. __**I cracked her skull. **__Yes, but she will recover. __**A stroke of luck; without the module she would perish. **__Without the module, neither of us would be alive._ His internal argument was interrupted by the aide's hand waving in his face.

"Are you listening to me? You asked what happened, and I'm trying to explain…but you aren't even paying attention." Shl'nar growled in exasperation. "Do you want to know or not?"

Kh'aan turned to face him. "Forgive me. Please tell me everything."

The aide shook his head and started over, a long four hours ensuing in which he describe their journey. Kh'aan listened attentively, never speaking but simply absorbing the story. His astonishment grew exponentially as Shl'nar spoke. That the aide would risk his life to lend assistance was surprise enough, but knowing that the crew was willing to share the risk left him speechless. He had never experienced such loyalty, not even from his friends and teammates who had died on the ice moon, and he had no idea how to repay them. The thought of them willfully deceiving the Arbitrator made Kh'aan smile, but he knew that they would experience even greater punishment than he if they were caught.

"Wait, I am confused. If you were unable to detect us, how was Kh'val able to find us?"

The aide hung his head. "I am uncertain. He must have used some methods not familiar to me, perhaps gleaned from his years hunting bad bloods." He glanced up at Kh'aan, slightly frustrated that the hunter's gaze once again rested on the module. "We found a tracking device on this vessel, and surmised that it enabled him to follow us. Perhaps he had a similar device concealed on your ship."

Kh'aan shook his head. "Not possible. Kh'val has never been on my ship, or anywhere near it without my knowledge. I also installed detection devices to find such things." He snorted, trying to remember if his brother had enough time to tag his ship during their brief encounter. "He must have used something else."

At that moment Kh'aan's stomach chose to voice its emptiness. The hunter growled and shifted his position, but made no move to see to his hunger. Mr'aal had remained silent during their discussion, but now tried to exert some authority.

"You must certainly be hungry. You should eat something. The process will take some more time to complete." He glanced at Shl'nar who nodded at the silent plea.

"Yes, we can continue our talk while you eat." He rose from his seat hoping that Kh'aan would follow, only to be met with a noncommittal grunt. The aide stifled a growl. "You heard Mr'aal, your body needs nourishment."

Kh'aan snorted but said nothing. Mr'aal tried a different tactic. "The module has nearly six hours remaining of the process, Firstborn. She will be here when you return."

Kh'aan was unperturbed. "I will wait until she awakens."

"Kh'aan," Shl'nar could not understand this sudden stubborn resolve. "I sincerely doubt that it would take six hours for you to eat. If you fear that you will not be here, why not…"

The hunter turned his stern gaze upon them. "I will wait until she is awake."

Aide and healer raised their hands in submission. It was clear that Kh'aan would not be swayed, and any further prodding would only anger him. Shl'nar stretched his limbs before heading to the door.

"I am going to check on repairs and then get something to eat myself. Please fetch me, Mr'aal, if the female awakens before I return." He took one last look at the oblivious hunter before taking his leave. _I would not think that he could appear so…lost. What happened out there?_

_**########**_

Grand Matron Sh'aan lounged in her private chambers watching the visual feeds from the mission to the Ice Moon. The High Elder did not know of her direct access, and never would if she had any say in the matter. It was a secret passed from each Grand Matron to her successor after assuming the leadership mantle, to avoid the political intrigue inherent in status reports from the various clans.

She tapped a command and replayed the link to Kh'aan's mask, watching intently as he instructed his team for their mission. His tone denoted the appropriate amount of stern power and leadership, even as his casual demeanor lounging on the deck set the hunters at ease. _He hates being in charge…always has._ The swiftness with which he dispatched the human leader sent a surge of pride through her, but that elation was short lived when she saw him engage the second soldier. _The soldier is a formidable warrior. I can see why he was so intent on taking its head, but it does not explain why he has abandoned the clan. _She adjusted the feed through several visual spectrums and gasped at what they revealed.

"The ooman is female! For Paya's sake, Kh'aan, what have you gotten yourself into?"

She recorded a few notes for future reference and was about to replay the feed again when a chime sounded from the door. She turned to see her personal assistant step through.

"Yes, Mr'sah?"

"We have detected the Arbitrator's vessel approaching rapidly, Grand Matron. They should arrive momentarily." The young female tapped a few commands into the data padd in her hand. "Would you like me to prepare your meeting chamber?"

Grand Matron Sh'aan thought for a moment, and then brought up the external sensors on her terminal. Sure enough, Kh'val's vessel seemed to be traveling recklessly fast. "I suppose they hope to arrive at the clan ship before me. Too bad that I am already here." The regal female chuckled and rose to her feet, stretching once before turning to her assistant. "I think I would like to meet them at the docking bay. The High Elder's expression should be most amusing."

Mr'sah's eyes grew wide, but she nodded and departed without another word. Sh'aan gazed longingly at the visual archives once more before she adjusted her robes and stepped to the door. _As infuriating as he is, sometimes Kh'alik and I are still pups at each other's throats. If he would just see reason past his power and prestige, we would not be in this predicament. _She took a deep breath and headed to the docking bay, her amusement quelled only by the thought of her Firstborn lost in the cosmos with a human female.

"I hope you know what you are doing."

_**########**_

On the Arbitrator's ship, Kh'val was having a difficult time keeping his eyes open. They had been racing back to the clan ship without interruption, and he had been glued to the command chair for hours staring at the console. As much as he had wanted to take a brief respite, he knew that the High Elder would have been all over his computer system if he did not remain close at hand. The cramped lack of privacy was grating on his nerves, and each time he heard the heavy footsteps of his sire reverberating through the ship he snarled in defiance. He tried to achieve some sort of calm by plotting how to get back to the chase as quickly as possible.

_It is simple. We will arrive and greet the Grand Matron, I will politely request permission to resume the hunt, and they'll send me on my way. There is no reason for me to remain for their discussions, and surely she will see that it is a waste of my talents. Certainly she would want me to find her most revered offspring, and would not hesitate to supersede Kh'alik's authority. Yes, it is the only logical course of action._

His musings were interrupted by the appearance of the High Elder. "What is our status, Arbitrator?"

Kh'val grunted but reined in his frustration. "I have the clan ship on my sensor grid. We should arrive in less than one hour." He glanced over his shoulder to see Kh'alik studying the console. He purposely enlarged the view of the clan ship to keep his attention. "I have not received word from the Grand Matron, so it is possible that we have managed to arrive before her."

Kh'alik's eyes narrowed when the sensor grid enlarged. It completely blocked the readout from a diagnostic that had showed damage to the vessel. Without asking the Arbitrator, he reached forward and tapped a command to bring the diagnostic to the forefront. "I would hope that we have. What is this diagnostic analyzing?"

Kh'val winced. "That? Oh, nothing, High Elder. I was simply…"

Kh'alik tapped the readout and began to study the scan. "When did this damage occur?" He did not expect an answer, but it was an opportunity to test his Thirdborn for truthfulness. A growl from the Arbitrator made Kh'alik hide a smile.

"I told you that Kh…the Firstborn rammed my ship twice. The damage is a result of his attacks. In my pursuit I have not been able to properly make repairs."

Kh'alik pounced on the opening. "So Shl'nar did not assist you with repairs before you asked that he return to the clan ship?"

Kh'val swore under his breath. _That infuriating fool and his technicians._ "On the contrary, he did assist me after the first attack, but after that I assumed that he had returned to the clan ship. I have not had a chance to make repairs after the second incident, nor has assistance been readily available."

The High Elder studied the back of Kh'val's head for a long moment before stepping forward to stand next to him. He waited for the Arbitrator to meet his gaze. "There is something that you are not telling me, Kh'val. Rest assured that I will find out what you are hiding, and you will regret keeping secrets from me."

Authority laced the High Elder's words, and Kh'val scrambled to find stable ground. "I keep no secrets, Elder; I have told you everything that has occurred."

"Then why did you request fresh fuel cells, Kh'val? Explain the sudden change in your plan to return to the clan ship? If there was no deception at hand, you would have fully explained yourself and I would not be here now." Kh'alik turned to the door. "I suggest that you prepare a better argument for your case. The Grand Matron will not be as understanding as I have been thus far. I will prepare for our arrival; inform me when we are in docking position."

Kh'val squeezed his eyes shut and listened for the retreating sound of Kh'alik's footsteps in the corridor before letting out a heavy snarl. His plan now rested on Grand Matron Sh'aan seeing reason and allowing him to resume looking for Kh'aan. _And for my trouble, brother, I will keep the head of your pet for myself._

_**########**_

Time passed slowly within the nebula. The crew worked diligently to bring the vessel back up to peak operating efficiency, but they were all too aware of the magnitude of events swirling around them. The two new guests in the medical bay – one a revered hunter of their clan, the other a sworn enemy to their species – had thrown their collective sensibilities through a loop and now none knew exactly where they stood in terms of clan tradition. Their only certainty now lay in the mission they had sworn allegiance to – helping the 'former' Firstborn escape safely with his new friend. If they failed their disgrace would be known throughout the clan, but success guaranteed that they could hide their involvement.

In engineering, the master and apprentice were running a check of the cleared exhaust system when another thunderous vibration coursed through the bulkheads. Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj exchanged a glance and then raised their eyes to the ceiling; the disturbances had been occurring for the past two hours, after Kh'aan had seen fit to vent his frustration in the Kehrite. They wondered how it was possible for one hunter to sound as though he were fighting an entire hive, but knew that the human was at the center of the Firstborn's troubles. Rather than antagonize him further, they focused on their part in the mission and hurried to get underway.

_**########**_

Kh'aan spun through another set of maneuvers, the spear in his hands slicing through the air while his mind created countless enemies around him. He leapt high over the head of an imaginary foe and thrust down the spear, cleaving several skulls as he passed before landing with a resounding thud. The vibration traveled through the ship and rattled his teeth, but he shook it off and stood, spinning to kick out at another invisible assailant. He snarled as he ducked beneath a blow and dove into a forward roll, coming up to thrust his spear…

At Shl'nar.

The aide's mouth dropped open in shock as the tip of the spear halted directly before his eyes. The hunter's grip shook as he lowered the weapon.

"Forgive me. I did not hear you enter." Kh'aan's gaze nearly froze the blood in Shl'nar's veins, but he could see the hunter's remorse and tried not to take offense.

"I guessed that when you nearly skewered me. It is a good thing that you have such exceptional skill." The aide caught his breath and stepped further into the room. "I wanted to discuss this nebula with you."

Kh'aan grunted and turned his back, walking to a small panel in the wall that held practice weapons and replacing the spear. "Wait until Kayla awakens. She will want to know as well."

The aide was slightly surprised that he placed such importance on the human. "Surely she will follow whatever you suggest. It is said that ooman females tend to leave decision making to their males." Shl'nar was not prepared for Kh'aan's reaction as the hunter spun around and growled menacingly.

"She follows no male, and would castrate you for suggesting it. You would do well to keep that opinion to yourself when she awakens. I will make no decision on our fate without her knowledge."

The aide opened his mouth to apologize for the slight when an alarm sounded through the corridor. Kh'aan immediately recognized it from the regeneration module and they rushed out of the Kehrite, meeting Mr'aal in the hall.

"There must be a malfunction in the module. I only stepped away for a moment." The ancient healer was beside himself with worry.

Kh'aan smiled. _No malfunction…only a resilient ooman._ He tore around a corner, dodging Sin'kaj and Fh'zaan in his haste, and skidded through the opening door to the medical bay. Relief flooded him when his gaze fell on the module and the grinning human inside. He activated the release lever and as the lid opened the female stood and stretched. Kayla glanced around at the others as they scrambled into the bay, and then met Kh'aan's gaze.

"So…now what?"


	20. Chapter 20

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 20 – Alive, Alert, Awake, Enthusiastic_

Shl'nar and Mr'aal watched with increasing amazement as the human and their wayward hunter devoured most of an Isnak loaf, their gluttony made comical by the intermittent bits that flew across the small table. That Kh'aan would immediately select the loaf instead of something more substantial confused them, but they realized that they were obviously missing the point of a personal joke. Shl'nar hoped to discuss the nebula and their current plight while the two ate, but they thoroughly ignored him – Kh'aan by choice and Kayla because she did not understand that the clicks and chirps coming from the bronze-colored hunter were his attempts to get a word in edgewise. Mr'aal tried to hide his amusement at Shl'nar's frustration, instead studying the interactions between their passengers.

Kayla's hearty laugh turned into a shriek if indignation when Kh'aan flicked yet another crumb into her hair. His retaliation over a piece that had gotten wedged in his crest was justified, but he seemed to be intent on decorating her tresses with bread just as his were with bone.

"Cut that out, you big baby!" She whined, frantically brushing her hands through her short hair until the offending crumb fell in her plate. She picked it up with an expression of intense disgust and promptly flicked it right back, the volleying particle sailing right into Kh'aan's laughing mouth. His chuckle turned into a wracking cough as he tried to dislodge it from his throat, and Kayla fell off of her stool in a fit of hysterics.

"A perfect shot!" Her words came out in between gasps of laughter. "I couldn't do that again if I tried!"

Kh'aan felt the tiny morsel finally find its way out of his windpipe and glared daggers at the giggling female. She had resumed her seat with her eyes intently studying her plate, but he could see her shoulders shaking, and the heat in her face was testament to her amusement at his expense. Not to be outdone, he slowly rose from his seat and picked up a palm-sized piece of loaf. He casually walked around the table as though to replace his platter in the compartment, but watched the human from the corner of his eye – her body tensed in anticipation.

Kayla knew that he was up to something, and had just decided that it was time to get out of the line of fire when a wad of bread came smashing down on her head. Kh'aan's meaty palm mashed it into her scalp and rubbed it in for good measure. Kayla froze in her seat, mouth open in astonishment for a brief moment before she howled in rage. Shl'nar and Mr'aal quickly squeezed against the wall when she leapt from the stool and Kh'aan made a quick dash for the door. The soldier picked up the jug of fruity liquid they'd been drinking and launched its contents at the retreating hunter, soaking him and the corridor as the door opened. He stopped in mid-step and spun around to the emerging human, his expression promising heinous punishment through the red juice running down his face.

"Now you die!"

Shl'nar and Mr'aal followed them into the corridor, worried that the Firstborn might be over-reacting. Before they could comment Kh'aan charged the female, who ducked under his reach and took off at a run down the corridor. The hunter roared with such ferocity that Shl'nar thought he might seriously injure his companion, but when Kh'aan passed them the aide caught his scent and realized in flooding relief that the he was far from upset – overwhelmingly amused, but not angry in the least.

Kayla skidded around a corner and spotted the room she was looking for. On their way to the meal chamber Kh'aan had showed her the Kehrite, and she quickly activated the door and rushed inside hoping futilely for someplace to hide. _What's the matter with me? Acting like a kid – food fights, hide and seek – __**He started it! **__Yeah, and how old am I? Shit, here he comes!_ She slipped behind the single pillar in the room and tried to hold her breath. When the door hissed open she immediately caught a whiff of berry juice and had to stifle a giggle. _Big tough hunter smells all fruity! God, he's going to kill me!_

Kh'aan stepped into the training room and paused, the juice throwing off his senses. He sniffed the air not expecting to be able to smell the human, but was rewarded with the faint scent of Isnak Loaf. _Ha! You cannot hide from me, silly human!_ He circled the room slowly and for a brief instant caught sight of Kayla's leg behind the pillar before the human stepped to the side. Kh'aan roared to throw her off guard and as expected the human made a dash for the door, but he got there first. He stood in the fiercest stance he could muster – a difficult task when trying not to laugh at food smeared in someone's hair.

"You pay for dishonor!" He snarled, flexing his fingers. His companion tried to match his stance and appear serious but was failing miserably.

"Dishonor! You dare speak of dishonor to me, Sir Firstborn Fruitjuice?" Kayla couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice as she watched a drop of juice fall from one of Kh'aan's mandibles. "You have desecrated the Victor Family Hair! This means war!"

Shl'nar and Mr'aal entered the training room in time to see the human lunge at Kh'aan, ducking under his reach to head-butt him in the chest. They could tell immediately that she did more damage to herself than to him, but Kh'aan now wore a smear of Isnak mash on his chest from her impact. The marine stumbled backwards and landed on her rear holding her head, but the moment she saw the incredulous look on Kh'aans face as he wiped at the mess she burst out in another fit of laughter.

"**Like pups, aren't they?"** Mr'aal mused, unable to hide his amusement any longer. Shl'nar chuckled in agreement.

"**Yes indeed, which is strange enough since Kh'aan never acted like a pup even when he was one."**

Kh'aan tried in vain to wipe away the paste of goo on his chest, but only managed to rub it into the congealing berry juice. He glared at Kayla while she rolled on the floor but could not maintain the façade of fury any longer. A few brief snorts grew into a belly full of laughter and soon he was on his knees beside her. After several minutes Kayla finally sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"So much for dignity in the face of our near demise," she chuckled.

Kh'aan regained control of himself and stood, pulling the female to her feet. "Over-rated." Kayla's head snapped up and she looked at him in complete disbelief.

"Over-rated? You have a very selective vocabulary, buster." She shook her head and started for the door. "Broken-english overgrown baby…can't say a full sentence but knows 'over-rated.'" She sensed his movement and ducked under the talon intent on poking her in the head. Before she could retaliate they heard a throat clearing at the door and looked up sheepishly at Shl'nar and Mr'aal.

"**If you are quite finished,"** the aide stepped aside to let them pass, and switched to English for the human. "We must talk now."

Sufficiently chastised, human and hunter shuffled out of the Kehrite. Mr'aal let them pass before following behind, and he caught Kayla purposely stepping on Kh'aan's heels several times before he gripped her in a head lock and dragged her the rest of the way down the corridor.

_If I did not know better I would think that they are siblings._

Shl'nar listened to the playful struggles behind him and an idea occurred, one that the two fugitives might not like but would amuse the aide greatly – not to mention removing the stench of fruit and Isnak they carried with them. The aide stepped aside to a panel and waited for Kh'aan and Kayla to pass before putting an arm out to halt Mr'aal.

"**Stay back, old friend." ** He quietly activated the comm. system. **"Fh'zaan, are you there?"**

"_**Yes, what do you need?"**_

Shl'nar chuckled. **"I need you to flush the secondary coolant system through juncture 12."** A heavy silence followed. **"Fh'zaan, please do it now!"**

"_**As you…wish, honored warrior."**_ Shl'nar could hear the confusion in his voice, but a moment later he heard the distinct sound of the coolant valves opening. Almost on cue Kh'aan reappeared at the juncture of the corridor with Kayla struggling under his arm.

"**What are you waiting for? I thought you wanted to talk to us?"**

Shl'nar nodded, and a second later the sprinkler system above their heads opened dousing them both in a shower of cold water. Kh'aan's bark of surprise was drowned out by the human's scream as the water hit her skin – tiny bumps raised on the surface in an instant and her temperature dropped sharply. Both immediately turned furious eyes on the aide.

"What the hell was that for? Are you out of your goddamn mind?" Kayla glared daggers at the two dry aliens.

"**PAUK! What is wrong with you? If you were anyone else, Shl'nar, I swear…" **Kh'aan didn't know whether to throttle the aide or thank him – the infernal berry juice was gone and the look on his companion's face was priceless.

Aide and healer shuffled by the two, and Shl'nar took a deep obvious breath. "Good. Smell is gone."

Kh'aan and Kayla exchanged a glance and the hunter leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Revenge?"

The marine grinned and nodded her head. "They say it's best served cold! Just say when."

########

They entered the council chamber – a large circular room on the uppermost level with a depression in the floor and tiered risers around it as seating. Kh'aan and Kayla sat with a wet squelch and flicked water at each other before giving Shl'nar their full attention. Mr'aal, with nothing more to do at the moment, eased into a seat along the wall to listen.

The aide collected his thoughts before joining them in the council pit. **"As you have probably realized by now, your vessel is destroyed and we are trapped in this strange nebula."** Before he could continue Kh'aan interrupted him.

"Speak ooman." The hunter sensed his companion's surprise at his request but mimicked a human gesture and raised a finger to his mouth to shush her. Shl'nar scowled but nodded his assent.

"Your ship gone." Pulling his thoughts together for the human to understand was decidedly more difficult and the aide frowned as he searched for the proper terms. "No ship, but you can not stay here. Kh'val find you here, will take us all to council." The human nodded in agreement but said nothing. Shl'nar continued.

"This…cloud…can not scan from outside; can not move inside; breaks down ship. We find planet inside. Scanning now." He noticed Kh'aan's expression and knew that the idea was not going over well – Kh'aan had too much pride.

"If planet safe, you hide there. We send ship to you. Can find this…cloud again."

Kh'aan growled and stood, livid at the thought of hiding like a common Bad Blood. "Not coward. Not hide!" He spoke slowly, and Kayla could easily see that he was getting agitated very quickly.

"Wait, wouldn't it make sense to…"

Kh'aan spun to face her. "I. Will. Not. Hide." Kayla frowned and stood up, not the least bit intimidated by his mood.

"Would you excuse us for a moment?" She asked, not looking at Mr'aal or the aide but meaning both. Shl'nar nodded and motioned Mr'aal out of the door. Once alone she turned a stern gaze to Kh'aan.

"What is your problem?" _Why beat around the bush?_

Kh'aan snorted and folded his arms across his chest. "Not coward. Will find Kh'val. Not hide."

The human shook her head and mimicked his childish stance. "Find him? How? With what ship? And when you find him, what are you going to do? Hope he'll meet you honorably in unarmed combat? Oh yes, brother dear will certainly be very honorable." Kayla paused and took a deep breath, bowing her head in an attempt to rein in her temper.

Kh'aan bristled at her tone. "You know nothing. Only ooman." Her head shot up at his words and he took a step back at the fury in her gaze.

"Only human? Only human! Let me tell you something, mighty hunter…I am something that you will never be." She stepped up until she was nose to elbow with his crossed arms and glared into his eyes. "I am a SOLDIER…a trained marine. I am more prepared for this situation than you could ever be. We are trained from day one how to fight and survive under the most horrendous conditions. I may have been stuck in exile on that rotten moon, but it did not diminish my abilities. I was second in command of my squad on Jurnada, and before that I trained with the most elite squad of marines in the galaxy; we specialized in survival tactics on inhospitable planets, war scenarios with hostile species, not to mention intensive psychological evaluation to determine how we react in a crisis. We are grilled to survive at all costs, even when survival dictates that we fall back and regroup to fight another day. There is no situation that I am not prepared to handle – this one included, though a little edited for content. I may be a soft little human to you, but I guarantee that many an opponent has underestimated my abilities."

She stepped back and looked away when she sensed his tension lessening. "In our current situation you would do well to listen to me. We are lost, defenseless, weaponless, without transport, intel, or any way to know where our enemies are. What we do have is a ship of good Samaritans who do not deserve a death sentence for helping us. It would be a greater dishonor to put them at any further risk than it would be to go to ground and leave them free to help us again if they're able."

Kayla again met his gaze, though he seemed reluctant and more than a little ashamed. "We can't stay on this ship, Kh'aan. We just can't."

Kh'aan's anger cooled rapidly under the severity of Kayla's words. After her playful antics over the past few hours, he'd forgotten that this human had nearly bested him in battle. He realized shamefully that she was not worthy of his typically scathing opinion of her species. As much as he hated to admit it, she was more right than she knew. Not only would their rescuers be executed for assisting them, their families would be ostracized for generations. In terms of Mr'aal, who had sired many of the clan's most exceptional healers in his day, such a tragedy could never be allowed.

He regarded the female, who had walked to the viewport and was gazing at the surrounding nebula. He could tell by her scent that she was unsettled by their options, but she was determined to uphold her values regardless of the danger to herself. He was impressed that she was willing to be stranded rather than jeopardize complete strangers. _She is already stranded with me, so what choice does she have? __**She could opt to be left on the planet alone and leave me to deal with my own mess, idiot, and it would not be a surprise.**_ Her actions were interesting coming from such a selfish species.

Kayla was right about one thing, and Kh'aan hated the reality of it. He would never be the type of warrior that she was – a soldier. Human military tactics remained the biggest mystery about their species. The only correlation they had ever come up with was to a pack of Hard Meats without the telepathy. Their ability to function as one in combat situations far surpassed his people, and the Yautja had yet to actually understand it well enough to claim superiority. Humans were always so frustratingly unpredictable, even if one studied their tendencies for years. Even now as he watched, Kayla's stance had relaxed and she was humming a cheerful tune and tracing patterns on the window. Kh'aan grunted in disbelief and approached to stand beside her.

"If I stay, what you do?" Her gaze met his and he saw a brief sadness cross her features before they steeled in determination.

"Honestly, I'd rather be free in danger than a sitting duck in danger." She glanced out of the window again as the planet came into view. "With nowhere to go and an uncertain life ahead of me, I'd probably see if they'd drop me off down there before taking you back." She shrugged and resumed her silence.

Kh'aan snorted quietly; he was a little surprised to be right about her, and wondered how they had learned to read each other so quickly. He made up his mind in an instant – he would not leave her to fend for herself if he could help it.

"Hope planet is…live…able."

Kayla's reflection smiled up at him and she raised her leg to playfully kick him in the back of his leg. "That's the spirit! Well, I suppose we should inform your friends of our decision before they think we're in here killing each other."

########

Shl'nar and Mr'aal had been quietly discussing possible outcomes of the private meeting when the door opened. They could not hide their relief when Kh'aan and Kayla appeared – alive and calm. The aide had been certain that more fighting/playing/nonsense would ensue. The two fugitives exchanged a glance before Kh'aan spoke.

"**If the planet is habitable, we have agreed to remain until you can send a ship for us."**

Shl'nar breathed a sigh of relief, but Mr'aal was astounded that they could come to such an agreement. His wide eyes flicked to the human, who read the disbelief in his gaze and smiled warmly before nodding.

"Something else," she ventured. "If it isn't livable, we'd better find somewhere else quickly. The sooner you get rid of us, the better off you'll be."

Shl'nar could not believe his ears. "You concern for us?"

Kh'aan hid a proud smile when the human answered. "Our mess has never been any of your concern, but you've gone out of your way to help us. Different species or not, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we got you caught. His psycho brother is probably itching to go home with a full load of prisoners, and how would you get a ship to us if you're dead?"

Shl'nar translated what she said for the healer, who nodded to her in gratitude. Mr'aal received another smile from the female and could not stop the color from rising in his face. Kayla laughed, understanding his surprise.

"We humans haven't made a very good impression on your species have we?"

With decision making out of the way they all felt a little better about the situation. All that remained was the sensor sweep of the planet. Following down behind the hunters, Kayla crossed her fingers. _Please be habitable, weirdo planet. We're so screwed if you're not._

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Hiya peoples! It s a little short but good things are to come. Enjoy! R&R! -Cap'n Razz

_(i hate it when this site deletes lines. I want space, people...quit with the auto-edit!)  
_


	21. Chapter 21

_**A Fine Mess**_

___Chapter 21 - Matron Mind Trip_

The Arbitrator's vessel settled into the holding clamps, a heavy groan of stressed metal echoing through the docking bay. The moment they were stable Kh'val and Elder Kh'alik marched swiftly toward the airlock, intent on reaching the Grand Matron's docking platform before her ship arrived. In their haste they missed a message blinking on the console.

Kh'alik hurried down the stairs to the engineering level barking a litany of instructions to the Arbitrator behind him. "Do not make eye contact with her; she has an intuitive sense and can easily read your meanings even if you try to hide the truth. Do not speak unless she or I address you directly."

Kh'val followed immediately behind his sire and chuckled quietly at the imposing figure of the High Elder as he continually straightened his robes and armor, though subconsciously he checked his own appearance as well – the Grand Matron always made him uneasy, and to be exclusively in her presence sent a chill down the Arbitrator's spine.

"…and above all, do not – I repeat – DO NOT mention Kh'aan unless she questions you directly. Is that understood?"

"Yes, High Elder." Kh'val snorted at the stench of anxiety rolling from his sire in waves. _So much for your stoic nature, 'High Elder'._

Kh'alik heard the sharp exhale from his Thirdborn, and was about to remind him of his precarious place when the door hissed open. He nearly tripped over his own feet when they came face to face with the Grand Matron herself. To make matters worse, Kh'val was unprepared for his abrupt halt and collided with his back, causing the Elder to stumble forward a step before regaining his balance.

"Grand Matron, wha…I…you…" Kh'alik could not seem to form a coherent thought as his mind struggled to maintain what little poise it could muster. The scent of extreme discomfort coming from the Arbitrator was not helpful either as it fueled his own unease. Before he could compose a fitting greeting Grand Matron Sh'aan turned down the corridor, and her assistant silently directed them to follow.

"Elder…"

"Be silent!"

"But she…"

"Silence!"

Kh'alik could not fathom what the Arbitrator was thinking, but he did not need it clouding his already confused mind. _How could she be here already? Why were we not informed? Could she already know what has happened to Kh'aan?_

Kh'val followed the High Elder, struggling to maintain his silence while his mind screamed with a thousand questions. His sire's posture remained as straight as a ceremonial spear, but Kh'val could smell the dread coursing through him, and wondered if the Grand Matron could as well.

Grand Matron Sh'aan strode purposefully through the corridors, chuckling quietly at the amount of panic radiating from the two hunters following her. Their unease was testament to the secrets being withheld, and she was determined to get to the bottom of this colossal mess no matter how much further discomfort she had to inflict on them.

They reached the corridor containing the meeting chambers, but rather than turn the corner Grand Matron Sh'aan continued onward as though oblivious to what should have been their destination. Kh'alik grew more disturbed as each step took them further from the relative stability of the meeting rooms. A quick glance over his shoulder proved that Kh'val was thinking the same thing, evidenced by a nervous twitch of the Arbitrator's mandibles. He turned his attention forward in time to nearly collide with Sh'aan; she had stopped in the corridor to address her assistant. Kh'alik regained his composure and tried to appear 'patient' though he felt far from it. A moment later the young aide nodded to her superior before hurrying down the corridor; Sh'aan glanced at them before continuing their march. She passed every conceivable meeting location and ascended the central access stair, much to the Elder's surprise. Several turns and corridors later they followed her into the starboard arboretum – a large internal garden used not only to supply necessary plant stuffs for food and medicinal purposes, but also used infrequently for meditation.

Grand Matron Sh'aan led them down the winding path to the central courtyard, a roughly circular area containing several curved benches surrounding a large fountain. She gestured to the benches before making herself comfortable on the edge of the fountain – she did not miss Kh'alik's surprise at her casual demeanor and choice of venue. Elder and Arbitrator sat rigid on two of the benches and tried not to look at each other. They heard the door open through the foliage, and soon after Sh'aan's assistant approached carrying a tray of beverages and fruit, which she set on the edge of the fountain before stepping to the side to take notes of their meeting. Once she could delay no longer, Sh'aan addressed them.

"From the speed that you were travelling I suppose you had hoped to arrive before me?"

Kh'alik knew right away from her inquiry that she already knew more than they could guess, and that he had no choice but to answer truthfully – all of his carefully prepared speeches were useless. "We had hoped to, yes, but were obviously not swift enough."

The regal female caught a twitch from the Arbitrator. "None the less, you must have outfitted your vessel with some impressive modifications to arrive so swiftly, Kh'val."

Kh'val snapped to attention when she spoke to him by name. _I must answer, she has spoken to me. But what can I say? What does she know?_ "I…y…yes, Grand Matron. Over the years I have made…some…additions."

Sh'aan's eyes narrowed as she studied the hunter. _Though you hold your secrets close, Arbitrator, it will not help you._ She reclined on the edge of the fountain until leaning on her elbow, and her assistant stepped forward immediately to place a stool under her feet. "I suppose you both wonder why you are here, hmmm?"

Kh'alik squirmed under the weight of her question. "You have requested our presence, Honored Matron, but have not explained your purpose." He caught a light scent of annoyance from the Arbitrator. _Do not anger her, you fool!_ To his chagrin Sh'aan's gaze lit upon Kh'val like laser sights, and Kh'alik immediately grasped why she had requested the Arbitrator's presence. _Kh'val may be skilled in deception, but in this instance he is grandly outmatched._

"Kh'val, is there something you wish to say?" Her voice was calm but her eyes challenged the Arbitrator, who visibly shrank away from her.

"No, Grand Matron." Kh'val tried to steel his features but her glowing eyes were unhinging him.

Sh'aan sat up straight on the edge of the fountain and pushed the stool away with her foot. She pierced the Arbitrator with her gaze until she saw his fear plainly. _You do not fear me, Kh'val. You fear what I know._ Before either hunter could blink, her demeanor changed again and she smiled warmly.

"Tell me, Kh'alik, have you ever heard of a Mhneschk?"

The High Elder's confusion was genuine, and relief flooded him at being able to answer truthfully. "No, Grand Matron, I have not. If I may ask, what is a _Mhneschk?_"

Sh'aan sensed Kh'val's extreme discomfort as though it were her own. "It is a space-faring creature, Elder, the likes of which most have never encountered." Her eyes flicked to the Arbitrator for a moment before returning to Kh'alik. "It is a living phenomenon that could easily be mistaken for a harmless astronomical nebula. These creatures are thousands of years old, if not more. I have not seen one myself, but the archives of the Grand Matron allude to their existence."

Kh'val sat very still hoping to spontaneously cloak. His mind could not process coherent thought, instead babbling frantically like a chastised pup. _She knows. How could she know? No, it is only my imagination. Then why does she keep looking at me!_

"Kh'val?" The Arbitrator jumped in his seat, much to Sh'aan's amusement. "Have you encountered one of these entities?" She knew that he would not dare lie to her, and watched in his eyes as he tried to come up with a suitable fabrication before resigning himself to the truth.

"Yes, I have seen one before." His insides churned but he refused to give in to her. "Many years ago."

Sh'aan studied him closely knowing that he was holding something back. "Then you are one of the lucky few to survive an encounter." She saw him flinch at the implication that he did not merely 'witness' the creature, but before she could continue her questioning Kh'alik interjected.

"Forgive me, Grand Matron, but why is this creature of any interest?"

The regal female averted her gaze from the Arbitrator with difficulty. "These entities are predators. They seem harmless to passing vessels, but once engulfed a ship will be trapped and slowly digested."

Kh'val saw his opening to feign ignorance. "Digested? It eats ships?"

"Yes. A vessel caught in the gaseous interior of a Mhneschk will slowly be dissolved, along with anyone inside." The look in her eyes informed Kh'val that he was not fooling anyone.

Kh'alik felt superfluous with the Grand Matron's attention fixed on his Thirdborn, but his confusion was growing and demanded answers. "But what interest is this to us?"

Sh'aan stood and slowly walked around the fountain. "These creatures exist because they feed, and are able to find food – in the form of unsuspecting vessels looking for somewhere to hide. A harmless nebula would be a good place to elude capture, and only too late would such fugitives realize their mistake." Having completed her circuit of the fountain she resumed her seat.

"Our true purpose here is Kh'aan." At the very mention of the Firstborn's name both hunters flinched. "He is out there right now trying to escape with his life, and if he encounters one of those entities will be caught completely off guard."

Kh'alik straightened in his seat. "Kh'aan has chosen his fate. If he wishes to disgrace his clan and go rogue with an ooman pet, he should pay for his treachery."

Kh'val, unable to hold his tongue any longer, voiced his agreement. "If he finds such a creature, would it not be a fitting punishment for a Bad Blood?"

The Grand Matron shot to her feet with a roar that shook them to their bones and made their blood run cold. "Kh'aan's punishment is not for you to decide! You will find him, and you will bring them **both** back to me ALIVE!" Her eyes flashed as she stepped forward, and it took all of her control not to maul the both of them for their audacity.

Kh'alik bowed his head in submission and from the corner of his vision saw Kh'val do the same. "As you request, Grand Matron, so shall it be done." He raised his eyes to see that she was staring intently at the Arbitrator.

"I expect, Kh'val, that you will do everything in your power to return your brother and his companion safely." Sh'aan saw him wince before he met her gaze.

Kh'val wanted to scream in frustration but managed to keep his tone neutral. "Of course, Grand Matron. I will do as you have instructed."

Sh'aan stepped back. "Then I suggest you leave now. There is not a moment to lose." The Arbitrator stood, mirrored by the High Elder, and both bowed before heading for the door.

"Elder Kh'alik?" He stopped and turned around, and heard Kh'val pause behind him. Grand Matron Sh'aan casually stooped to choose a berry from the fruit tray. "We have a meeting with the Council in two hours concerning the Announcement Ceremony. I expect you to join me."

He could not believe what he was hearing. "With all due respect, Grand Matron, I feel it would be best for me to accompany Kh'val." When Sh'aan met his eyes he tried to convey his meaning. _He must not be sent after Kh'aan alone!_

"I am sure you do, but I have complete trust that Kh'val will carry out this mission to the best of his ability. He does not require your supervision." She glanced past the Elder. "You have your instructions, Arbitrator. You will report to me directly on a daily basis."

Kh'val clenched a fist behind his back and bowed again. "Yes, Grand Matron." He turned to leave again when her voice cut through him like hot metal.

"I want them both alive, Kh'val. Do not disappoint me." Sh'aan watched as his shoulders tensed before he disappeared through the foliage. The tension radiating off of Kh'alik drew her attention to his astonished face. His mouth opened and closed several times before he was able to speak.

"There is something you are not telling me, Sh'aan." He fixed her with his most piercing gaze that usually had hunters cowering in fear. "What is it that you know?"

The regal female resumed her seat on the fountain and began to peel another fruit with her talons. "I know many things, High Elder. You should see to your affairs before our meeting. You know how council meetings have a tendency to continue endlessly."

Kh'alik bowed slightly before turning on his heel and marching from the arboretum. The frustrated female sighed heavily knowing that the worst was yet to come. Her assistant stepped forward.

"If I may be so bold, Grand Matron, they both seemed to be hiding something."

Sh'aan smiled to herself before rising."You are very observant, Mr'sah. You honor the sires of your lineage." The young aide glowed from the praise, and Sh'aan made a mental note to inform her revered fifth sire of her exceptional service. She snatched one more piece of fruit before gesturing to the tray. "Take the remainder of our snack down to the slave quarters and then meet me in my chambers."

The young assistant nodded, but her gaze fell longingly on a platter of purple star-shaped fruit; Sh'aan laughed. "Alright. Take all but the _cizili_. You may have that for yourself."

Mr'sah grinned broadly and bowed low before hurrying to complete her tasks. The Grand Matron watched her for a moment before heading to her personal chambers. She needed privacy in which to organize her thoughts before the council meeting, and wondering if Kh'val would keep his word made it difficult to concentrate.

########

High Elder Kh'alik shuffled through the corridors in a daze. No matter how he turned the thoughts in his head, he remained wary and confused. _What is she up to? It is obvious that she distrusts Kh'val, but if that is the case why would she send him after Kh'aan alone? Would it not be more prudent to send us both, or someone else entirely? And why did she become so angry when we voiced our opinions about Kh'aan's punishment? Surely it would be in the best interests of the clan that he be punished for his actions, so that no others follow in his footsteps._

The Elder received a strange look from a passing healer, and tried to rearrange his features into an unreadable mask. _Perhaps she wants to hear his side of the story before passing judgment. Or maybe she has no intention of punishing him._ He snorted at such a ridiculous notion. _Absurd! He has abandoned his clan, his birthright and his duty to mate with a human. Like any Bad Blood he will face the ultimate punishment for this betrayal of his clan._ Kh'alik halted in a juncture and squared his shoulders, a low growl escaping from his throat. _The Council will see reason, and Kh'aan will bow to their will._

Sufficiently reassured, the High Elder continued to his chambers to bathe and collect his thoughts before meeting with the Council.

########

Kayla stared bleary-eyed at the scanner display. It had been several hours since she and the hunters had convened in the Command Center to analyze the strange planet, and though she was intrigued, her exhaustion was taking its toll. At one point Kh'aan had noticed that she was fidgeting in her boredom and frustration, and had set up a small corner of the console for her to study the visual scan on her own. The grateful marine knew that her constant questions were annoying the hunters, and though she could not read the symbols in their language, she knew her way around a graphics display. After a few minutes of instruction and deductive reasoning, she was confident enough with the controls that Kh'aan left her to her own devices and returned to the discussion with his comrades. She had studied every bit of the planet that the scan indicated, noting the nearly flat surface elevation, the extensive ocean surrounding less than a dozen small islands, and was intrigued that the planet seemed to spin on a backwards axis. _Either that or it's upside down. It will be weird readjusting to sunrise and sunset directions._

The human stretched her arms to the ceiling and let out a loud yawn before resetting her eyes on the scan. She wanted to enhance the view to see the surface up close, but her groggy mind forgot which indicator was the 'zoom' button. She was about to just give up and rejoin Kh'aan when her elbow rested on a small square in the bottom of the screen. The view immediately zoomed in closer to the surface and she felt an excited jolt of wakefulness. _Eureka! What have we got here? The water is so clear! I bet I could see all the way to the bottom swimming on the surface. Woah! I wouldn't want to swim near them! What are they? Whales?_ A small group of very large shadows passed under the surface of the sea in her display, and the marine felt a childlike moment of glee at the possibility of exploring this strange planet. She felt her eyes drooping again and tried to stay focused, the continuous clicking dialogue from the hunters acting like a metronome in the background of her mind. _Let's see…if the little red blips indicate life, there isn't much on the islands. The oceans seem teeming with…HEY! _She lifted her finger from the panning command and zoomed closer to the surface of the ocean. Deep beneath the surface in one of the deeper portions there seemed to be an abundance of life, but what looked like swarms in her view appeared entirely too organized to be simple schools of sea life. _What if this place is inhabited by mer-people or something? Those clusters look more like how a city looks from space. _She panned back to the largest island – less an island than the crown of a dead volcano jutting from the ocean._ The central valley looks really lush. If there aren't any caves, we could definitely build a few huts._ She zoomed out again and briefly scanned the remaining islands before returning to the volcanic crater._ It seems to be the only one with possible shelter. The rest look like grassy sandbars. Well, as long as it's a dead volcano…_

Suddenly the marine's eyes snapped open and she sat up, surprised to be nestled in a rather luxurious bed of furs. She wondered briefly how she got there, but her fatigue reasserted itself and she swiftly fell back to sleep, not hearing a low purr as the door closed.

########

Kh'aan had been standing at the console discussing whether or not they would be able to land the ship when he heard a light thud from the corner. He and Shl'nar turned at the same time to see that Kayla had fallen asleep on the console – her finger was poised over the magnification command causing the image to repeatedly zoom.

"Is she alright?" The aide's concern seemed genuine, much to Kh'aan's surprise.

"Yes. I did not realize how long we have been awake. She needs to rest."

Shl'nar did not understand. "But you only just awoke today. Why would she need sleep already?"

Kh'aan made the strange 'silence' gesture with his finger as he approached the female. "Oomans require more sleep than we do, as well as more frequent feedings. It has been at least 4 hours more than she is accustomed to."

Aide and pilot watched intrigued as he very gently picked up the human, first tilting her upright in the seat and then slipping his arms underneath her. He turned to Shl'nar with the question obvious in his eyes, and the aide did not hesitate.

"All of the guest chambers are empty, though I put your possessions in the first." Kh'aan nodded his thanks and slipped silently from the command deck. The pilot snorted in disbelief.

"Such care…I would think it unnecessary if I had not already guessed his feelings for her."

Shl'nar turned to him. "Feelings for her? They are comrades; that is all."

Ti'nuk grunted. "If you think so. I cannot fathom any other reason for his quest except that he has feelings of a personal nature for the ooman."

Shl'nar knelt next the pilot's chair, his tone heavy with caution. "Do not mention that to Kh'aan. As far as he told me, he feels that she is an honorable warrior who did not deserve to freeze to death. He may take offense if you suggest that he has that kind of interest in her."

Ti'nuk was quick to clarify his meaning. "I would never suggest anything to him. I only wonder myself." _She is an interesting creature. It would not be a surprise if he did._

########

Kh'aan walked swiftly to the guest corridor and entered the first room. The first thing he saw was the remains of his life spread out on the sleeping platform. _Now is not the time,_ he growled quietly. He balanced the female in the crook of one arm and cleared away a space to lay her down. Kayla moaned when he released her before she curled up in a ball. Kh'aan chuckled quietly and quickly moved his possessions to a nearby table before pulling up a fur to cover her. He stepped back to the wall to dim the lighting, and was about to leave the room when something made him stop in the threshold and turn around. Aside from her heat signature he could barely make out her form, but a moment later he saw her sit up abruptly and gaze at the furs in confusion before settling down again. Purring lightly, he slipped from the room.

He arrived back in Command to catch a strange look from the pilot. Before he could speak Shl'nar stepped forward. "How long will she sleep?"

Kh'aan cocked his head to the side in thought, and then shrugged – the human gesture was not lost on the aide. "At least six hours, perhaps more if her fatigue is great."

"Is it safe to leave her unattended?" The hunter growled for a moment before answering and Shl'nar realized that he'd said something wrong again. "I mean no offense. You know your companion better than I. I should not have asked."

Kh'aan's gaze softened. "It is alright, I should not be so defensive. I had the same thoughts myself for a time. I think she knows to ask before disturbing anything."

They settled back to studying the planet, but Shl'nar could not stop Ti'nuk's theory from plaguing his mind. _What if he does have 'feelings' for her?_

After a few more hours of staring at the console, Kh'aan and Shl'nar decided to take a break and rest their eyes. Ti'nuk, left to his own devices for a while, found himself curious about what the human was looking at on the side console. He set the ship on automatic orbit and slipped into the other seat. _What would a human find interesting about this tiny planet?_ He activated the screen and immediately saw a close view of the central valley in the crater. He and the others had been studying the same land mass, and so instead he cycled through some of the previous command actions. After a few moments he stopped the scan, focusing on the clusters of lifesigns under the vast ocean. _She spent quite a while examining this area, if the time span is accurate. Why would she find groups of marine life so fascinating?_ He was about to access the sub-surface scan when he heard footsteps approaching. Though not concerned with being caught, he did not want the Firstborn thinking that he did not trust his companion, and so he quickly deactivated the panel and returned to his seat. _Perhaps later I will ask._

Kh'aan and Shl'nar entered Command to find Ti'nuk where they left him, though the pilot wore a lopsided expression of amusement as though he had discovered a secret. Shl'nar stepped forward to resume studying the scan, but turned when Kh'aan passed him to approach the side panel. He took the seat vacated by Kayla and opened the scan she had been studying.

"Is something the matter, honored warrior?" The aide walked over to peer over his shoulder.

Kh'aan cycled through the screens Kayla had been monitoring. "No. I had been wondering what she was studying over here, so I thought I'd take a look." To his surprise, Ti'nuk spoke up.

"Actually I just did, Firstborn." The pilot turned and rose from his seat to join them. "She had been studying the central volcano as we were. I believe that she has also come to the conclusion that it would be the best place to search for shelter." Ti'nuk paused to gauge their reactions – aside from surprise he sensed no reprimand, and so continued. "She had also been studying several clusters of lifesigns under the oceans…here, and here."

Kh'aan and Shl'nar leaned forward and the aide spoke first. "Why would they be so interesting?"

Kh'aan mused for a few minutes while Shl'nar and Ti'nuk speculated. After a few minutes he sat upright and activated the sub-surface scan. The screen blinked before zooming in past the surface of the ocean. To their surprise it revealed a vast network of undersea ridges that seemed to be pocketed with caverns, and within each appeared well organized groups of lifeforms. Kh'aan sat back with a surprised grunt.

"What does that look like to you, Shl'nar?"

The aide stared at the screen for a long moment before he realized what Kh'aan was asking. "The only thing I can compare it to is seeing a lighted settlement from orbit."

Kh'aan nodded while a sinister smile crossed his features. "Leave it to Kayla to find sentient life, if that is what we are seeing."

"Why is that such a surprise, Firstborn?" Ti'nuk could not contain his curiosity.

Kh'aan winced at the title but tried to ignore it. "It just reminds me of something she once said. Let us hope that those life forms are completely aquatic."

He leaned back over the screen to pan over the surface. Shl'nar leaned over to the pilot and offered a bit of advice. "He really hates his birthright, Ti'nuk. It's hard for me as well, but try not to call him 'Firstborn'". The pilot turned away to hide a laugh but nodded in agreement.

Kh'aan snorted quietly at Shl'nar's 'advice' before turning to face them. "Tomorrow we will land and explore. We can see no more from here, and the sooner we figure out if there is shelter the better off we will be." They nodded in agreement and plotted a course of action for the next day. Kh'aan hid a smile as a thought took root in his mind. _I should tether Kayla to my side or she may get lost following her own curiosity. _Another thought made him laugh out loud. _Perhaps not…she would probably beat me to death with the tether._

#$#$#$#$#$#$

AN: In case you're wondering, and have already figured out my naming parameters…Mr'aal's first letters would normally not have gone to a female of his lineage, but Mr'sah's matron went Bad Blood, and the young assistant chose to identify herself with the revered sire of their line rather than be marked by her matron's name.


	22. Chapter 22

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 22 – K&K's Island, Part I_

Kh'val could not contain his frustration, and was slowly losing himself to a rage unbefitting an Arbitrator. He stormed through the clan ship to the docking bay, all in his path dodging away from the ferocious expression on his face. One youngblood was not swift enough to notice his warpath, and wound up with a face-full of the corridor wall before slumping unconscious to the floor. The Arbitrator was barely aware of the hunter as he stepped over the prone body. _How dare she? That pompous, arrogant female! I should throttle them both for this disgrace! 'Bring them back alive!' That ooman deserves to be an ornament in my trophy room, its blood painting my ship. But no, she would rather that I give Kh'aan the satisfaction of keeping it alive! Her threat was not disguised in the least. What can I do? Pauk! This is spoiling everything! If I return without his pet, the Grand Matron will surely punish me. _

He reached his vessel without further incident and blindly made his way aboard. Upon reaching the control room he noticed that he had been given clearance to immediately depart, and it was signed by the Grand Matron herself. _In a hurry to save your precious Firstborn? If Kh'aan is lucky they are both already dead. _He quickly powered up, and without thought to docking bay protocol shot out of the bay and back in the direction of the _Mhneschk_. Once the course was set, Kh'val retired to his chambers to study his personal logs and plan how to infiltrate the creature. The last thing he wanted was to end up a dessert to the beast.

"…_is alive, it is hungry, and it does not like to lose a meal…"_ The Arbitrator grinned as he envisioned jettisoning the human into space. _Perhaps I will be able to leave it a snack._

%%%%%%

Kayla quietly slipped out of the command deck while the hunters conversed about their approach. She had been dodging around them for the better part of an hour and finally decided to simply get out of the way. She made her way to the upper lounge room that Kh'aan had called a 'council chamber', and upon entering walked purposefully over to the large window. As she had suspected, it offered a clear almost panoramic view of the planet, and her mind settled into the familiarity of military reconnaissance mode. She was so absorbed in her study that she did not hear the door open, and was momentarily startled when Kh'aan's reflection joined hers in the glass.

"You left."

Her toneless voice echoed her distraction. "I was in the way."

Kh'aan noticed that she was intently studying the planet as they descended in a tightening orbit, and wondered what she was thinking about. After a few minutes of silence his curiosity got the best of him.

"What you see?" He was surprised when she began to bark out words, sounding like a recording.

"Average surface height appears to be sea-level. Approximately ten islands, most at sea-level. Volcanic crater of unknown age, presumably dormant if not completely inactive, is roughly five miles square. Estimated peak height is approximately one thousand feet. Extensive vegetation is visible in the central valley, which appears to be accessible through that fissure in the western wall, if that is west. A narrow strip of sand estimated at less than 20 feet wide surrounds the crater, not enough to land on unless the ship can sit partially in water. I estimate that it would take 8 to 12 hours for full reconnaissance."

When she paused in her litany she heard a grunt from the hunter and glanced up to meet his reflected eyes. "What?"

Kh'aan chuckled. "Soldier."

She elbowed him lightly in the side. "'Till the day I die."

They stood quietly for a few more minutes until Kh'aan caught a change in her scent. Glancing at her reflection he saw her features soften into what he took to be excitement as they drew closer. Her eyes met his in the glass and she grinned.

"What do you see?"

Kh'aan took a minute to study the view, now markedly closer and he assumed Ti'nuk had found a suitable entry vector. "Land small. Much water…too much water." He grunted in displeasure, the thought of having nothing significant to hunt not sitting well.

Kayla noted a frown on his features. "Don't tell me that you can't swim."

Kh'aan snarled. "Can swim. Small land, small hunt. Not happy."

She nodded in understanding. _He wants something challenging to kill, huh? Typical. _

They stood in silence and growing anticipation as the bright planet filled their view. A slight bump of turbulence shook the vessel before it began its descent through the atmosphere. Kayla's excitement grew as the haze of clouds passed the viewport, and when they broke through she could not stop herself from stepping closer.

_I shouldn't be so excited. It's just a planet after all…I've seen dozens. __**Yes, but no one has ever seen this one!**__**It's first contact with a foreign world. **__Been there, done that too. It's no big deal. __**Not a big deal? Out of every tour of duty, you've never been the **__**first**__** to see a new world – they've always been charted at least once. **__True…but…well…ok, so I'm excited. _

The hunter watched his distracted companion press her forehead to the window as though trying to get a closer look. Suddenly he remembered an interesting addition that the High Elder had made to this room to better facilitate meetings. He stepped over to a computer panel in the wall and punched in several commands. The system beeped twice before he heard Kayla yelp in surprise.

The human jumped back from the window when the view suddenly zoomed in drastically, and she was faced with a much closer look at the ocean. She turned to Kh'aan with a frown on her face.

"You scared the crap out of me! For a second I thought that I was falling."

He laughed before linking the feed to his wrist computer. Stepping back over to the window, he sat down cross-legged on the floor and motioned for Kayla to join him. "Silly ooman."

Curious at this bit of technology, Kayla sat next to him and looked up at what now reminded her of a large viewing screen in the training rooms of the compound on Jurnada. She heard Kh'aan tapping away, and the view panned to the left, leaving the ocean behind to center on the volcanic crater. With the image so enhanced they were able to see much more than a rock bowl with a strip of sand around it. The craggy peaks of the crater were softer than they appeared from orbit, and they could see many flattened areas forming a broken ridge line along the rim. The lush greenery previously thought to be a dense forest now appeared as loose groves of thin trees, mostly bare along the trunks with large branching tufts along the top, as though something had rubbed all of the lower foliage away. Kh'aan panned slowly from one end of the valley to the other while Kayla stared intently as though trying to commit the sight to memory as thoroughly as possible. After a few more minutes she finally broke the silence.

"Zoom out a little."

The hunter obliged and they were once again faced with a full view of the crater. Recon mode kicked in again and she started listing the sights. "Assuming cardinal directions apply, the variegated northern wall is more likely to have caverns, and therefore possible shelter, than the smooth southern wall. The stone appears solid – there seems to be no evidence of rockslides or quakes. The eastern grove of trees appears denser than the region bordering the pass. The trees surround a central plain approximately one and a half miles long, large enough for grazing animals, but we are too far away to verify. The valley is not the forest that it appeared from orbit. We may be able to land in that central plain. It would not be wise to attempt an air/sea jump until we have a thorough knowledge of the currents and creatures in the water. Any ocean can have riptides, as I've learned on several occasions…"

Suddenly a large hand clamped over her mouth and she jerked back in surprise. Kh'aan chuckled before releasing her. "Breathe."

Her skin heated for a moment before she glared daggers at him and gagged, pretending to wipe something disgusting from her face. "Yuck! Who knows where your hands have been…BLEH!"

A chime in the room caught their attention and was echoed a second later by the hunter's wrist computer. _"We have found a suitable landing site."_

Kh'aan explained the message and they exchanged a glance before racing from the room. He barely beat Kayla to Command; the feisty marine dove forward to squeeze under his arm at the last second. Shl'nar and Ti'nuk chuckled at their antics before all turned their attention to the pilot.

"**The visible land does not have enough room for the ship, but the island itself extends out far enough to keep us from sinking."** Ti'nuk pointed to a submerged sandbar not far from the entrance to the valley while Kh'aan translated his words for Kayla. **"We will wind up with two landing struts in the water, but it is better than having to drop you off and circle."**

Kayla frowned. "Why not just land in the field?"

Kh'aan translated her question and she heard the pilot answer. The hunter turned to her. "Rock has energy. Can not land, crash, can not lift again." The human pieced his meaning together. _Rock has energy? Must be magnetic fields or something interfering with the guidance system._ She nodded that she understood.

At that moment the engineers appeared, nodding respectfully to the aide and Firstborn, and surprisingly to the human as well.

"**We will remain to finalize repairs to the ship." **Fh'zaan, leaning casually against the wall and twirling a coupling in his hands, seemed much more relaxed than he'd been for most of their journey. **"It would be best if we figure out a way to fortify the vessel's systems so that we can withstand another journey through this nebula."**

Kayla listened to the chirps, clicks and growls of their conversation, and when they turned to leave she waved and gave them a smile. "We'll bring you a souvenir."

Sin'kaj stopped in the door. **"What did she say?"**

Kh'aan chuckled. **"She said that 'we will bring you a souvenir' from the planet."** The apprentice looked pleasantly shocked at her thoughtfulness and nodded his thanks to the human.

"**Tell her that I am grateful, as we will not have a chance to explore."**

Kh'aan relayed his message to the marine before they braced for what could be a rough landing.

%%%%%%

Kayla sat on a boulder and strapped on the strange sandals that Kh'aan had given her. They were no match for her beloved combat boots – incinerated along with Kh'aan's ship – but she was starting to learn that appearances could be deceiving, and the flimsy-looking sandals actually felt rather sturdy. After jogging a few paces to make sure they remained secure she trotted over to join the others. As she approached she noticed that the two hunters seemed agitated and the ancient healer looked very upset.

"**I am sorry, Mr'aal," **Kh'aan reached to place a hand on Mr'aal's shoulder but he backed away.** "It is far too dangerous for you to be wandering around this island at your age. We will tell you what we find when we return."**

The healer frowned. **"I have spent nearly all of my life in seclusion in the clan. Now you would deny me this one chance to explore a strange new world?"**

Shl'nar agreed with Kh'aan. **"Surely you understand our reasons for caution, old friend. It is simply unsafe for you here."**

Mr'aal turned away from them, not believing that they would force him to remain behind._ I thought surely that they would be more understanding than Kh'alik. It is unfair!_ He was aware of the human joining them but could not bring himself to look at her, knowing that they would allow her to accompany them but not him.

"What's going on?"

Kh'aan nodded to her in greeting. "Explore for short time. Sunset comes."

Kayla pouted but understood the need for a short survey; upon landing they had noticed that the planet was cloaked in approaching dusk. "But what are you arguing about?"

"Mr'aal want to come. Too old. Not happy."

"Too old?" The marine frowned. "How could you say that? It's not like we're going far. How often does he get a chance to explore?"

Shl'nar growled and hung his head. _Not her too!_ "Must hurry. Can not protect him."

Her blood beginning to boil at their suggestion, Kayla stepped over to link her arm through the old healer's, much to his surprise. "Then you hurry. I'll go with him."

Shl'nar and Kh'aan both wore shocked expressions. They looked from Kayla to Mr'aal, noting that the healer was beginning to grasp what she was up to and his mandibles twitched in his growing excitement. The human did not give them a chance to object.

"Go ahead. We'll meet you back here when the sun goes down." Without another word, she turned and led Mr'aal away down the beach.

Kh'aan watched in amazement as they strolled through the pass into the valley. Shl'nar growled for a moment before turning to the hunter.

"**Your friend is being difficult. Aside from the fact that Mr'aal is over 800 years old, they have no way to communicate. It is a foolish decision."**

"**Perhaps, but I am learning that it is more foolish to try and dissuade her."** Kh'aan snorted a laugh. **"Fortunately I have no doubt that she can protect him if the need arises."**

They followed Kayla and Mr'aal's tracks into the valley and split off in the opposite direction. Kh'aan secretly praised his companion – even though he knew that Mr'aal had no business exploring a strange planet, the human acted honorably on the healer's behalf and his esteem for her grew. _Keep him safe, Kayla. May Paya watch over you both._

%%%%%%

Kayla and Mr'aal walked in silence for a while, taking in the scenery and brooding over Kh'aan and Shl'nar's behavior. The old healer was grateful that the human had chosen to accompany him, but now wondered if it was such a wise decision. They had no means of communicating, and in the event of an emergency might find it difficult to work together. He stopped walking by a grove of low fern-like plants, and the female turned to regard him.

"Are you ok? Do you need to rest?" Kayla mentally smacked herself as soon as the words left her mouth. _He can't understand me._ When Mr'aal met her gaze she searched her mind for some way to bridge their communication gap.

Mr'aal watched the human closely after she spoke. Very slowly she raised a hand and pointed to him, and then paused frowning. He waited patiently and a moment later she pointed again and then put both of her hands together next to her head, leaning it to the side. The old healer wracked his brain trying to figure out her meaning. _Me, I understand she is asking me something…but the hands…me…hands by head. I do not understand._

Kayla saw him frown and thought of something different. She pointed to him and then sat down on a rock, and then pointed again and walked away a few paces. She raised both of her hands in a gesture that he recognized as indecision, and then pointed to the rock and to the direction she had been walking. Mr'aal's mandibles tapped rapidly in thought before he suddenly clapped his hands together. _Of course! Would I like to rest or keep going! I understand!_ He nodded to her and pointed in the direction that she had been walking, pleased when the human bared her teeth in her strange smile. She offered her arm again which he took without hesitation, and they continued down the path.

Kayla grinned broadly when Mr'aal grasped her meaning. _Who needs words? This will be fun!_ They followed a rough path into the trees, and the marine recognized it as a game trail. She focused on the ground and noted several different types of tracks in the dirt. _Large and small, a lot of creatures come this way; but where are they now? It's nearly silent here._ A mild unease began to itch in her mind when she realized that it was indeed too quiet. The expected drone of insects was absent; all she could hear was the sound of the distant ocean on the shore and the rustle of leaves in the trees. _Maybe we're so strange that all life is on alert. _After a while she felt the healer tug on her arm and stopped beside him.

Mr'aal had been observing the various alien plants when he spotted something that made him stop in his tracks. _Impossible! My eyes must be deceiving me._ When the female paused beside him he stepped closer to a low reddish plant with wide leaves and a mild scent. He carefully grasped a leaf and turned it over, surprised when he saw the telltale vein structure.

"**This is the **_**cinteliptas**_** plant!"**

Kayla heard a surprised series of chirps from the healer and bent closer to see what he was looking at. It was a rather plain looking plant, but his excitement was obvious. She waited for him to look at her before she pointed to his find and shook her head to indicate that she did not know what it was. Mr'aal's mandibles spread in amusement as he gestured to the plant and made a motion as though drinking, and then stumbled around in a circle. She laughed heartily when she realized that he was miming being drunk. _It must be a plant that they use to make their liquor. Funny that he would find it on this planet._ She nodded that she understood, and watched him take a few leaves and tuck them into a hidden pocket in his robes. _I'll have to ask Kh'aan about this plant._

Mr'aal could not fathom how the _cinteliptas_, native to his homeworld, could end up on this strange little planetoid, but his enthusiasm at exploring further grew by leaps and bounds. He gently grasped the human's hand and pulled her along the path, his eyes glued to the passing foliage for anything else he might find familiar.

They had been walking for nearly an hour when Kayla suddenly shouted in surprise before dashing off of the path to look at something. Mr'aal waited patiently and moments later she came hopping back over the underbrush carrying several thick leaves – they looked like sharp green spikes about as long as her hand.

The marine couldn't believe her luck when she spotted the stalks poking out of the greenery, and when she pushed aside the blocking foliage was amazed by the size of the plant. _I'm starting to like this planet! I've never seen one as high as my hip before._ She showed the leaves to the healer.

"This is aloe." She knew he could not understand her, but she repeated the word a few times anyway. To her surprise he mimicked her nearly perfectly.

"A…lo?" She nodded enthusiastically when he got it right, and then handed him a few fronds to inspect. After a moment he looked up again in question. Kayla thought for a minute and then pulled out one of the daggers Kh'aan had given her. She mimed cutting herself, and then rubbed the plant against the imaginary wound. Mr'aal cocked his head to the side watching her. When she tried to imitate burning, and then rubbed the plant on the wound again he understood. _It is a healing plant! How odd that we both would find something familiar here._

When the healer nodded that he understood her meaning Kayla hopped up and down in delight. _Kh'aan's supplies will only last so long; all the more reason to have secondary reserves! _She rolled up one leg of her fatigues and gently stuffed the fronds down in the cuff for safe keeping. Standing up straight again she was surprised to see Mr'aal holding his arm out to her. She took it and nodded with a smile before they continued down the path.

%%%%%%

Meanwhile on the other side of the island…

Kh'aan and Shl'nar moved cautiously and stealthily through the valley, their training as hunters coming into play as they stuck to the shadows and maintained a heightened awareness of their surroundings. Kh'aan heard movement in the brush to their right as they passed through the thin trees, and quietly chirped to Shl'nar. The aide nodded and readied his weapons. Poised and ready to strike, the two were disappointed when a small family of bird-like creatures emerged from the underbrush. Brightly colored and as tall as Kh'aan's knees, they had flat heads with pointed bills, and a crest of thorns running down their necks. They seemed to be covered in both scales and feathers, and though their webbed feet indicated at least a partially aquatic lifestyle, they had a second set of limbs set low on their chests and thick wings folded against their sides. Shl'nar frowned and was about to dismiss the creatures when Kh'aan motioned to follow them. They fanned out behind the birds and followed at a distance. The creatures' journey took the hunters through thick foliage that nearly gave away their position, but suddenly the underbrush cleared and they found themselves at the edge of a small lake. The birds trumpeted a loud honking noise before one by one they dove into the water. Shl'nar watched expecting them to surface, but to his surprise they never reappeared.

"**Where did they go?"**

Kh'aan wondered the same thing and punched a command into his computer. The spectrum in his mask switched through several views before he was able to see below the surface of the water. He was surprised to see the birds diving deep into the lake, and a moment later they disappeared around an underwater boulder and were gone.

"**I believe that this body of water has another access point. It must be some sort of conduit for them. Strange."**

They made note of the find before splitting up to circle the lake. Kh'aan could not stop himself from tracking the aide. Though Shl'nar's skill at remaining silent had not diminished in his years assisting the Elder, Kh'aan could follow his scent through the trees, distinctly familiar among the plethora of new aromas. His attention snapped back to his own course when a splash sounded not far in front of him. He crept forward to see a four-toed footprint a little larger than Kayla's hand and the remnants of a ripple in the water, and surmised that something large had just slipped by him. He quickly switched spectrums in his mask but could not see anything in the lake other than sediment kicked up by the creature's passage. _I'll find you later, beast. Perhaps the hunting here is not so bad after all._

They made their way around the lake and stood in silence checking their readings. Shl'nar tried to hide his amusement while he watched Kh'aan scan their surroundings and rapidly enter data into his computer. _He may not be pleased with hiding on this planet, but it has certainly piqued his curiosity. _

"**Have you found something interesting?"**

Kh'aan whipped around to face Shl'nar, slightly embarrassed at not hiding his growing enthusiasm. He was about to comment on the hunting possibilities when a shadow caught his attention behind the dense shrubs between the lake and the wall of the crater. He stepped around the aide but his view was obscured by more shadow from the crater. Shl'nar joined him and followed his gaze.

"**What is it?"**

Rather than answer, the hunter suddenly sprinted toward the undergrowth and sprung into the air. His leap cleared the shrubs and for a moment he disappeared from Shl'nar's sight. The aide grew concerned until a triumphant bark echoed from the stone. A moment later Kh'aan's head reappeared, seeming to grow right out of the foliage.

"**I have found a cave! It seems very large! Come see for…!"** His words were cut off by a surprised howl, and Shl'nar did not think twice before wading through the brush to the opening. He reached the edge and stood warily.

"**Kh'aan?" **

A few grumbled curses reached him from the darkness before he saw a flare of light. It illuminated a modest slope down into the gloom, and a moment later the lost hunter came into view.

"**I did not expect it to slope downwards. Watch your step."**

The aide cautiously made his way down the rise, dragging his wristblades along the stone wall to maintain his balance. He slid down the last of the slope when the wall of the tunnel ended and came to a stop in a large open cavern, the light from Kh'aan's wrist computer barely illuminating the space.

"**Incredible! This is enormous!"**

Kh'aan's scent spoke of his excitement even if Shl'nar could not see his expression, and the aide could not blame him. The interior of the cavern towered over their heads to at least twice their height, and he could see in the meager light that it was nearly as large as the entire main deck of Kh'aan's ship. At the base of the rise was a flat area that could only be called an entryway. Two shallow dips in the stone that seemed to be large ancient pools spread out on either side of the slope, and the aide thought that they could easily be converted to sleeping areas. He walked forward on a raised 'path' above the pits until he reached Kh'aan's side, and then activated the light on his own computer. With the increased illumination they were able to see the rest of the space, which opened into another large flat area that stretched to the back wall of the cave. A few more shallow indentations pitted the floor of the cave, giving the aide the idea for contained fire pits and places that they could prepare their food or store supplies. He shook his head in disbelief and turned to Kh'aan, who could not stop turning around in place taking in the cavern.

Kh'aan could not contain his awe. _Kayla must see this! It is perfect for our needs. Granted I am not too enthusiastic over living in a cave, but _**"this is more than a simple cave."**

He heard Shl'nar chuckle and realized he'd been thinking out loud. He turned sheepishly to the aide. **"I think this will suffice, don't you?"**

Shl'nar nodded. **"It seems to be more than adequate for your needs, and more than enough space to not be stepping on each other."**

They explored the space further before Kh'aan realized that it was probably getting late. He joined Shl'nar at the base of the slope where the aide was studying the strange round pits. **"We should probably be getting back. I suspect that sunset will be upon us soon."**

Shl'nar nodded and rose to his feet. **"These indentations in the stone are so smooth. I wonder what would carve out the rock like this." **He brushed off his hands and turned to the ramp. **"But you are right; we should rejoin the others. It would be best if Mr'aal returned to the ship. I hope your friend has not allowed him to exhaust himself."**

Kh'aan took one last look around the cave before following the aide up the slope. The claws on his toes made it easier to walk up than down, but knowing that Kayla did not have such useful appendages made him ponder how to roughen the slope a little and make it easier for her to travel. _If __I __can see the potential in this cave, then she will be beside herself. I hope there is enough time before sunset to show it to her._

They emerged from the cavern removing their masks for a breath of fresh air. The hunters had expected darkness to be upon them outside, and only after realizing that they could see each other clearly did they notice that something was amiss. Kh'aan's eyes shot up to the sky while Shl'nar turned in place, a discomfited growl rumbling through him.

"**Has time stopped, or have I gone completely insane?"**

Kh'aan glanced at the aide, at a loss to answer. Both turned to their computers to try to figure out what they missed. After a moment Kh'aan's shoulders slumped and he let out a low growl.

"**I thought that we would be racing sunset, Shl'nar, but now I believe that I was very wrong."**

The aide turned to him and nearly laughed at the hunter's expression. **"How do you mean?"**

Kh'aan looked thoroughly ashamed, as though he'd missed something that a suckling would have easily noticed. Reluctantly he admitted his mistake. **"How could a planet with no sun have a sunset?"**

Shl'nar reined in his amusement and glanced at the sky. **"A good question that I cannot answer. If there is not a sun, then how do you explain this twilight?"**

"**Ambient light from the nebula would be my guess, which means that this planet is in ETERNAL twilight." **He snorted in displeasure. **"That's just perfect!"**

Shl'nar was confused. **"You are happy about this?"**

"**Of course not! I meant…"** Kh'aan chuckled and shook his head, realizing that Kayla's strange humor was rubbing off on him. **"Nevermind."**

####

{WOO! Finally updated! Sorry for the wait, fellow minions of fictionalized madness, but I have finally conquered the REAL ESTATE BEAST! Yes, Captain Razz is now the proud owner of 'Casa Del Razz'! No net just yet (uploading from work…shhhh!), but the delay in muse is over! Now I just need to set up my inner sanctum (a den or study to the non-nerds of the world). Oh, and about the chapter…had to split this into two parts or it still wouldn't be uploaded yet. Stay tuned for more from K&K's Island. "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started on a frozen moon, and blew up Firstborn's ship." -da Cap'n}

post-post-script...Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and special thanks to Moka-girl for the proper translation. One of these days I'll fix that chapter, but thanks a million for the correct words!

Enjoy!


	23. Chapter 23

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 23 – K&K's Island, Part II_

Kayla and Mr'aal continued their trek through the jungle, named more for the underbrush than the overhead trees. They did not encounter any more familiar plants, but the marine was intrigued by the variety of tracks she found in the loose soil. The healer was eager to learn, and so she stretched her imagination to try to explain what types of creatures she thought they were from. A set of four-toed prints larger than her hand led to an elaborate pantomime of a possibly crocodilian creature; long lines flanked by tiny claw prints made for a challenging imitation of what might have been a snake with feet; the most entertaining came from sets of tracks found by the healer – from what the marine could tell, two bipedal animals had fought over another set of bipedal tracks that had milled in a circle around the battle. Mr'aal wound up laughing so hard that his color darkened by several shades, and Kayla had stopped her charade in an attempt to help him calm down.

Eventually, the trail they followed came to an abrupt stop in a small clearing against the wall of the crater. The old healer was feeling his age as time passed, but he did not want to seem weak to the human and ignored his body's demands for rest. By the time they reached the end of the path Mr'aal could no longer feel his feet, and his breath was becoming labored. He glanced at the female and was surprised to catch her looking away. _She knows that I am tired. I am surprised that she has not tried to force me to rest. _At that moment a wave of coughing overwhelmed him and he knew that he needed to stop.

It pained Kayla to watch the old healer struggle on by her side. She understood that he was part of a proud species, and after his elation at being able to explore she had no intention of reminding him of his age. _Even if he reminds me of Grampa, he's not. I can't just make him sit or I'll insult him. _The moment he started coughing, however, she knew that she had to do something. When Mr'aal regained control of his lungs he looked at her with a very embarrassed expression, and the idea immediately sprung to her mind. She slumped her shoulders a little and put her hands on her hips, twisting her torso to crack her back and emitting a loud groan of contentment that she trailed off into a whine.

"My god, we've been walking forever it seems. I think my back has officially rebelled against me." She wasn't completely lying; only transferring her sore feet to her back. She shuffled over to a large boulder that would seat both of them and dropped down with an exaggerated sigh of relief. When she met Mr'aal's eyes she waved her hands as though over-heated, and then pointed to herself and the boulder signifying that she needed to rest. She tried to look as embarrassed as possible, and patted the space next to her in invitation for him to join her. The relief on the healers face spoke volumes and Kayla silently praised her quick thinking.

Mr'aal eased down on the flat boulder next to the human. He could tell by her heat and scent that she was not the least bit tired, but appreciated her efforts to maintain his dignity. _No Yautja would ever dare to make themselves appear weak for the benefit of another. Are all oomans like this one, or is she unique?_ He studied her out of the corner of his eye, noting that though her body language indicated fatigue her eyes were bright and alert – darting about the clearing on constant lookout. He followed her gaze and was about to pose a question when something else struck his mind. _We have been walking for a long time, and yet the amount of light has not changed! _Mr'aal touched the female's shoulder and waited for her attention before pointing to the sky.

Kayla followed his gesture with her eyes, wondering what he was pointing at. She watched as the old healer drew a line across the sky with his finger and then mimicked her 'indecision' gesture. She stared up while gnawing on her lip and tried to figure out his meaning. _What's wrong with the sky? 'Across the sky'? What's across the sky? _

Mr'aal grunted and tried to think of something different when she suddenly gasped and turned to him with wide eyes. Very slowly she repeated his 'finger across the sky' motion, and then drew her hand down over her eyes and shook her head from side to side. The healer chirped in agreement and repeated her motions, hoping that she did understand him.

Kayla could not contain her shock. _He means the sun across the sky! NO sun across the sky! That's what he's talking about! The light hasn't changed – no sunset!_ She met the healer's eyes and pointed back and forth between them before pointing back down the trail. _We need to get back…who knows what kind of state Kh'aan is in right now._

Mr'aal nodded at her movement, coming to the same conclusion that they should return before Shl'nar and Kh'aan came searching for them. _They would never let either of us out of their sight again if they were forced to find us. _When Kayla nodded and stood, he rose slowly to his feet and felt blood flow rush through his limbs, sending a tingling feeling down his legs and into his toes. He swayed for a moment and squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him, but an instant later felt the human's hands on his arm and shoulder. He opened his eyes to see her gazing at him in concern, and he smiled and nodded before they started off down the path. _Such a kind creature; I would never have guessed that she was a formidable warrior. Kh'aan has found an honorable and worthy companion; even though he has cast aside his birthright, someone like her would be a fine choice as consort to the next High Elder._ He suddenly shuddered and stole a glance at Kayla, who had not noticed his distress. _Crazy old fool! They do not have such feelings for each other…stop thinking that way!_

#####

Meanwhile, Kh'aan and Shl'nar reached the pass into the valley and settled down to wait for the other explorers. Shl'nar tried to use the time to sort through the new data accumulated by his computer, but he was continually distracted by Kh'aan's impatient pacing while they waited. Finally the aide could not take it anymore.

"**Stop pacing, Kh'aan! You're making me dizzy and digging yourself a hole."**

The hunter turned abruptly and nearly tripped over the edge of said hole. **"They should be back by now. Something has happened!"**

Shl'nar tried to hide his amusement. **"Was it not you who said that she could protect them if necessary?"**

"**It has been too long, Shl'nar! What if they fell into a chasm, or something happened to Kayla and Mr'aal is unable to help her? What if…"**

Kh'aan's words were cut off by a stone hitting him in the back of his head. He turned to see the aide failing miserably to contain his laughter. **"And what if they were abducted by aliens? Calm yourself, Kh'aan. If they lost track of time as we did, I'm certain that they're on their way back at this very moment."**

The former Firstborn was about to retort when they heard a disturbance approaching from the trees. Both hunters rose with weapons at the ready, only to see their lost friends emerge from the jungle. Human and healer appeared intact and in good spirits, if the animated gestures they were making were any indication. Kh'aan took a step forward before his mind caught up with him and he paused to observe what they were doing. _I must be imagining things. Are they…talking?_ At that moment the two looked up, saw the expression on Kh'aan's face and immediately burst into fits of laughter. The hunter watched as Mr'aal pointed to him and then twisted his features into an angry mask, his hands raised with his talons poised menacingly. Kayla laughed and shook her head, her expression changing to what looked like panic, and she ran around in a circle as though looking for something. Kh'aan snorted and crossed his arms while he waited for them to approach. _They are laughing at me. They cannot even speak to each other and yet they are able to make jokes about me! Confounded ooman._

Kayla and Mr'aal managed to subdue their amusement by the time they reached the others. They could tell that Kh'aan was furious at their delay, but the expression on Shl'nar's face let them know not to take the hunter seriously. Mr'aal turned one last time to Kayla and bowed graciously, the thanks in his eyes speaking volumes that caused a hitch in her throat. She returned his gesture and held his hands companionably for a moment before the old healer allowed Shl'nar to lead him away to the ship. She watched them for a few more minutes knowing that Kh'aan was staring holes in the back of her head. Only after the two started up the ramp did she turn to meet his fuming countenance with a sneer of her own.

"Did you miss me? I'm touched!"

Kh'aan snorted. "Why long time?"

The marine couldn't help but shake her head; he was starting to sound like her mother. "Well, we would have been back by sunset, except that there was no sunset. How do you figure that one, fearless leader?" Kayla bit her tongue when Kh'aan's color darkened and he looked away, and the sarcasm left her voice in an instant. "Hey, how were any of us to know? It looked like dusk to me too. There has been enough on our minds as it is without logic coming into the picture." He snorted, looking unconvinced and she stepped into his line of sight. "It's not even a mistake, Kh'aan…more like an oversight, ok, so stop sulking!" She lightly punched him on the arm for emphasis, pleased when his mandibles twitched. She glanced back at the ship and felt a well-placed talon poke the back of her head. Kh'aan's eyes were alight with mischief when she turned around to glare at him.

"Come. Found cave."

The marine perked up instantly. "Really? A good one or just a hole in the rock?" Kh'aan didn't answer, instead taking off at a run across the valley and into the trees. Kayla sprinted after him until she reached the tree line and then stopped.

"Why am I chasing you, you big ox! You'll just run faster and laugh when I can't catch you." She peered at the foliage and spotted evidence of his passing. Military training kicked in and she felt a surge of adrenaline as she began to track the hunter through the trees, but he was not being careful with his steps and his footprints were obvious in the soft soil. _This is no fun…too easy!_ She stood upright and spun in a circle with her eyes closed before resuming her search. The broken branches and crushed grass were still a dead giveaway and the marine frowned before following his trail into the underbrush.

Kh'aan raced to the lake and turned, a triumphant roar getting caught in his throat when he realized that Kayla was not behind him. _Where is she? I could not have lost her._ He tapped a command into his computer and a moment later brought up a hologram of the jungle. He panned around the area searching for heat signatures and spotted her crouched low to the ground. _What is she doing?_ The hunter watched as his companion carefully eased through the underbrush while intently scanning her surroundings. He barked out a laugh when he realized what she was up to. _Tracking me? Crazy female! _Kh'aan scanned the surrounding trees and found a group that might be able to hold his weight in their branches. He carefully shimmied up the thin trunks, and after a precarious balancing act he stilled his movements and waited for her to pass. _Track me now!_

Kayla reached the edge of a small lake and paused, Kh'aan's trail coming to an abrupt halt at the water. _Ok…I doubt that he went for a swim._ She scanned the underbrush and found tracks from when he and Shl'nar had been exploring earlier, but nothing recent that would indicate where the hunter went. The valley was completely silent except for a light breeze that tickled the treetops, and after straining her ears for any sound from him the marine growled.

"I am not going in that lake after you!"

She started around the body of water completely oblivious to the eyes boring into the back of her skull. Kh'aan tried to hold in his amusement but the vibration that traveled through him from hiding a chuckle upset his balance. Kayla heard a low cracking sound behind her, and whipped around in time to see the hunter plummet out of the trees and land with a resounding 'thud', feet in the air and leaves snared in his tresses. She stepped over to him while covering her laughter with her hand.

"Um…I don't think those trees are very sturdy."

Kh'aan growled and tried to untangle himself from the vines he'd fallen into, but only managed to get more ensnared. "Your fault. Track me."

"I didn't make you climb the trees," she laughed while cutting at the vines. "That was your genius plan!" She pulled the grumpy hunter to his feet and plucked a few leaves from his hair. "So where is this cave that you found?"

Kh'aan snarled and glared at her for a moment before he turned to circle the lake. "This way. No track."

Kayla flicked him on the arm with her index finger before following. "Don't run off and I won't have to." Before she could step back out of his reach Kh'aan snared her in a head lock.

"Should follow. Now must." The hunter smiled to himself as he dragged the kicking, swearing human around the lake while dodging her attempts to trip him, until finally they reached the grove of bushes hiding the entrance to the cave.

Once Kh'aan stopped walking his grip on her lessened, and Kayla used the opportunity to wriggle out from under his arm. "I can't tell you how disgusting it is being that close to your armpit!"

Kh'aan growled and reached for her again, making Kayla jump back into a defensive stance. He chuckled and remembered his initial thoughts about how much fun it was to antagonize such a jumpy human. The hunter reigned in his amusement and used his wristblades to widen the path that Shl'nar had made through the plants. They reached the opening to the cave and Kayla whistled.

"Wow! It's certainly well hidden." Her voice echoed back from the gloom and she shouted again. "ECHO!"

Kh'aan snorted while he watched her. _You are a pup in an adult's body, you silly female!_ After her initial fascination faded she glanced up at him.

"Well, fearless leader…after you!" Kayla bowed deeply and extended her arm to the side. She glanced up between the fringes of her hair, a smirk on her face. "Who knows what you planted down there to catch me unaware." Kh'aan's mandibles twitched into a smirk and he gave her one last glare before stepping across the threshold. The human warily followed and she was immediately enclosed in darkness. She felt the floor slope downwards and braced her knees for the descent while trailing her hand along the stone. After a few feet the gentle grade dropped off to a sharp forty-five degree angle, and she stopped to adjust her footing before continuing behind the dark shadow that Kh'aan had become in the gloom. She heard him stop a short way ahead of her.

"You there?"

"Yeah, right behind you…I just don't have your nifty claws so…"

His rattling laugh bounced off of the stone walls and the marine realized in an instant that this was no 'hole in the rock'. She skidded down the final few feet and nearly collided with the hunter at the bottom. He reached a hand out to her shoulder while she regained her balance, and then activated the light on his computer. Kayla's eyes nearly burst from their sockets when she saw the enormous cavern.

"Holy shit!"

Kh'aan watched as she walked a tentative circle around him, her eyes taking in as much of the cave as she could see. When she stepped into the light she was smiling wide enough that he thought her face would split in half.

"This is awesome!" She beamed up at him and then turned around to creep out of the circle of light. "It's huge! Even if we got stuck in here for months, we wouldn't be tripping over each other."

Kh'aan followed her deeper into the cave, the light staying just at her back. "Hope not stuck for months, but good size." He stopped short when the human came skipping back and punched him in the arm, her enthusiasm lending the jab a little more force than necessary.

Kayla couldn't stop smiling. "You did good, soldier! This will make a superb field base!" She whirled around again and shuffled over to the stone wall, reaching her hand out to trace the contours while she walked the circumference. Kh'aan listened for the sound of her steps, and heard her stop in the far corner. "If I stopped to think about it, this is quite insane." He heard her chuckle and the sound of her shuffling back. She was still grinning when she reached the circle of light again.

"Stuck insane, or cave insane?" Her good mood was becoming infectious and Kh'aan felt his own spirits lifting rapidly.

Kayla hung her head back to gaze up at the roof of the cave before answering. "All of it. Here we are, two 24th century beings, trained to be the best that our cultures have to offer, capable of lethal force with the most advanced technology," she poked his wrist computer for emphasis, "and we're excited about being stuck on this planet, living like primitives in a cave. Well…I'm excited. You seem rather indifferent."

Kh'aan snorted and threw his head back, letting out a bellowing roar that rattled Kayla's teeth and shook the stone around them. When their eyes met again his glittered in the darkness. "Better?"

The human laughed and shook her head. "You ham! Yes, that's much better." Then she leaned back and pounded her fists on her chest, a strange undulating call erupting from her throat that echoed just as loudly and had his ears ringing. When she finished she could barely catch her breath. "Tarzan, eat your heart out!"

########

Upon entering the ship, Mr'aal and Shl'nar were immediately bombarded with questions about the island, having been met by the rest of the crew at the top of the ramp. Even usually stoic Fh'zaan could not keep the curiosity from his eyes.

"**What sort of creatures did you see?"**

"**Did they find a cave?"**

"**You actually let Mr'aal go exploring? How was it, healer?"**

Mr'aal chuckled and motioned them to follow him to the medical bay, where he recounted his adventure while checking his own vitals. Such strenuous activity had not been inflicted on his body in centuries, and he wanted to make sure that he had not injured himself.

"**I'm afraid that Shl'nar did not **_**let**_** me do anything. The ooman, Kayla, **_**took**_** me exploring."**

"**What?" **Shocked faces turned to the aide who chuckled at their surprise.

"**Yes, she took him exploring when Kh'aan and I thought that he should remain behind."** He turned sheepish eyes to the healer. **"Forgive me, old friend. I was wrong to restrict you."**

Mr'aal bowed his head slightly, his voice reassuring. **"No, you were concerned for my health and safety, with good reason. It reached a point when I thought I had made a mistake, as we had been walking for hours with no sign of stopping. But Kh'aan's friend is both kind and clever. She knew that I was tired, but she made no move to force me to rest."** He paused and saw that his audience was enthralled. **"When I finally could go no further, she pretended that ****she**** was tired and then invited me to rest with her. A strange creature, that one."**

Sin'kaj could not believe what he was hearing. **"She pretended? Why would she make herself appear tired when she was not?"**

Finished with the hand-held scanner, Mr'aal put it away before answering. **"A very good question. No Yautja would ever feign weakness for the benefit of another, and yet this ooman chose to do so rather than reminding me of my age."**

Shl'nar could hear a trace of bitterness in the healer's voice and felt deeply ashamed. **"I am sorry…"**

Mr'aal interrupted him before the aide could say another word. **"You were concerned for me. That is nothing to be sorry about, honored warrior."**

The master engineer suddenly spoke up, confusion in his tone. **"I did not know you spoke 'ooman', Mr'aal. I thought you said that you could not understand her earlier. How could she 'invite' you to rest?"**

"**I do not speak ooman, nor could she understand my words. As I said, Kayla is very smart. It was her idea to try to speak with hand gestures and bodily movements. It was not the most efficient means of communication, but we were able to discuss many things once we figured out what gestures to use. I was surprised by the extent of her imagination. I would never have thought to try speaking with gestures."**

The technicians were shocked speechless by the revelation that the human was not only willing to demean herself for the benefit of another, but also would think of how to communicate without words. The preconceived notions about humans that had been ingrained into their minds from birth were crumbling rapidly.

Ti'nuk chuckled before rising to return to Command. **"Smart, playful, kind and dangerous. An odd combination of traits for any being. I like this ooman, 'Kayla'."**

The technicians chuckled and followed him out of the medical bay. At that moment, Mr'aal felt his fatigue like a heavy weight on his chest and eased into his chair with a contented sigh. **"I must rest now. It has been a long day. Please awaken me when they return, Shl'nar."**

"**I will,"** the aide replied quietly. He slipped out of medical and headed for Command. _She continues to prove me wrong. What a strangely enlightening ooman._

########

Kayla and Kh'aan puttered around in the cave for a short while longer before heading back to the ship. Once they emerged into 'daylight' again, they realized how odd it would be to get used to perpetual dusk. Kayla noticed right away that it did not take as long for her eyes to adjust from dark to light, while Kh'aan found that it took a moment for his vision to clarify things around him – he made a mental note to acquire a spare mask from Shl'nar before they left. The two reached the small pond and stopped.

"Thanks, Kh'aan."

The hunter turned, his head cocked to the side in question. "Why?" He noticed the heat rise in her face for a moment before fading back to normal.

"I never thanked you for not letting me sleep on the console. That bed was much more comfortable."

Kh'aan snorted and ruffled a hand through her hair. "No drool on screen."

Kayla laughed and tried to shove him but his bulk wouldn't move. "Ha! Drool? I don't drool! And how do you know that word, huh?"

Their eyes met and the challenge flared between them when suddenly the human bolted, sprinting around the left side of the lake. Kh'aan snarled and charged around the right side, intent on beating her even though she got a head start. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw her stumble, and was about to shout at her when he caught a low hanging branch in the face. Kayla heard the swish and thud and slowed down enough to see Kh'aan fall flat on his back in the mud. She was about to laugh when he leapt to his feet and roared, his pace quickening to an impossible speed. The marine pushed her legs to their limit and reached the head of the lake mere steps before the hunter, but she didn't stop – instead gathering another burst of speed to tear through the jungle back in the direction of the ship. She took one glance over her shoulder and nearly shrieked when she saw Kh'aan within arm's reach of her. _Come on legs! PT got you ready for this, and that overgrown beefcake isn't going to beat Sergeant Kayla Victor!_

A passing observer would only have seen two blurs whipping through the underbrush, as fast as they were moving. Kh'aan would never have guessed that Kayla could out run him, but her shorter height meant that she did not have to dodge low-hanging branches like he did. He had just ducked under another limb when he saw her raise her right hand over her head, the middle finger raised and her laughter filtering back on the breeze. _Why you little…_

########

Shl'nar and the technicians were lounging on the entrance ramp waiting for their passengers when they saw Kayla burst from the trees as though Death were chasing her, and seconds later Kh'aan emerged mere strides from her back. As the two drew closer they could hear the human laughing in between breaths, and Kh'aan wore a lopsided grin that almost looked out of place on the renowned hunter. They watched the two fugitives tear out of the valley, passing the ship to race down the beach. On open ground it seemed that Kh'aan would catch the female when suddenly she dropped to the ground right in front of him, sending the hunter sprawling to the sand.

Kayla laughed and shook off the pain across her back from Kh'aan's tumble, leaping to her feet to race away. "You'll never catch me so just give it up!"

Kh'aan rolled through his fall with almost cat-like grace and was up behind her in seconds, a steady growl in his throat. "Last word, ooman!"

They reached the end of the beach and raced around the bend – a narrow strip of sand curving around an outcropping of rocks. Kh'aan willed another surge of power through his legs, and could almost reach forward to grab her tunic when Kayla skidded to a stop in front of him. He managed to slow his momentum in time to stop beside her, and not a moment too soon. Directly before them were a group of large reptilian creatures basking on the beach. The nearest one was in the middle of a yawn that showed row up on row of serrated teeth as long as Kayla's fingers. Its mouth snapped shut and two pairs of close-set eerie yellow eyes focused on them.

Kayla could not stop her heart from pounding at the sight of the giant beast, and it seemed like the creature could hear it from the way its head tilted in her direction. Its head, body and tail reminded her of the images she'd see of extinct alligators or crocodiles, but it was nearly as large as a personal hover-craft, and three times as long as she was tall. The marine felt Kh'aan pull lightly at the back of her tunic and took a step backwards with him, but their movement was caught by the creature. It immediately turned toward them and opened its enormous mouth, bellowing a warbling howl before its six legs propelled it forward.

The beast charged so quickly that hunter and human barely had time to react. It snapped its jaws between them knocking Kh'aan off balance. He stumbled backwards off of a boulder under the shoreline and plunged into the sea, and the creature turned its attention to the smaller morsel. Kayla threw her body to the sand and rolled away before rising into a run. She heard Kh'aan splash in the water but felt the breath of the beast on her back and had no time to check on her friend. _Well, if he wanted hunting, he's got it!_

Their crewmates stood in shock when they saw Kh'aan fall into the water from behind the outcropping. Before they could think to run to his aid they saw the human sprint around the rocks with an enormous beast right behind her. They watched awestruck as she suddenly sprung to the side, her left foot bracing on the rock while her body spun. Her right food pushed off of the stone as the creature passed beneath her, and a battle cry echoed up the beach as she drew a blade from her belt and fell on the beast, driving the dagger deep into its skull. The creature reared up and spun away from her attack, throwing the human into the sea just as Kh'aan's shuriken imbedded in its stomach. The beast roared a final wailing cry before it fell dead to the sand.

Kh'aan ran through the water to where Kayla had landed and pulled her sputtering out of the surf. "Ok? Kayla! You ok?"

The human shook her head trying to dissipate the stars in her vision from hitting a boulder under the water. "Yeah, yeah I'm ok. Did we get it?"

They looked up at the creature, and the others running up the beach toward them. Kh'aan grinned down at her and met her raised open palm with his own. "Got it."

########

{AN: Greetings and salutations! Sorry for the delay, but the computer gremlins have set up permanent shop in my internet computer. Damn gremlins! Subsequently, this was uploaded from work.

Anyway, I hope this chapter is worth the wait…I think it is, but it's up to you! R&R (that's read and review, not rest and revitalize!) and as always ENJOY!}

K&K's 2 cents: _Quit lollygagging already! Waiting in the wings is fine, but we're bored! __**Yes. Bored Yautja not happy.**__ That's what I said, you goon! __**Crazy ooman! **__Stubborn ox! (Poke fight ensues) _

Guys, guys! Knock it off or I won't finish the story.

_*pouting* __***growling***_

-Captain 'Gremlins are not cute, they're EVIL' Razz


	24. Chapter 24

AN: I'm a bad monkey to keep you waiting so long. *grovels* Forgive! I'm not worthy! I hope this makes up for the century since the last chapter. - 'da Cap'n

_**A Fine Mess**_

**Chapter 24 – Fricassee**

The sound of many voices reverberated through the walls of the Grand Council Chamber. Well into its eighth hour, the meeting had yet to show any signs of ending, and the delegates were fidgeting uncomfortably in their seats. The Grand Council consisted of the Elders and Matrons of each of the ten clans, and the High Elder and Grand Matron of all clans. The infrequent meetings were the only instance when all of the leaders were gathered together and usually only occurred when it was a matter of great importance. The purpose of this meeting was unprecedented, as it pertained to scandal surrounding to the heir to the seat of High Elder and his possible fate after recent events.

High Elder Kh'alik tried in vain to sway the council members, but no words could deter them from agreeing with Grand Matron Sh'aan. They insisted that the accused be brought forth for an official inquiry before any judgment would be passed, and no persuasion from Kh'alik could crack their resolve.

"**I cannot stress enough how imperative it is that we contain Kh'aan's rebellion at all costs…"**

"**With all due respect, High Elder,"** Elder Nek'am interjected, **"It seems rather peculiar that you are so anxious to punish your own Firstborn without hearing his side of the story. Such haste would make one question your motives."**

Kh'alik balked at the insinuation, but another council member spoke before he could defend himself. **"Yes, I agree that we must be very careful before passing judgment."** Matron Kil'ikai nodded in support of Nek'am**. "If you fear others following in Kh'aan's footsteps, perhaps it would be prudent to know exactly what those steps are so that we may properly ascertain the risk."**

The two elders, usually fierce adversaries when it pertained to their own clan, became a formidable force of reason when united against the other clans. The council members usually conceded to their logic in times of division in the Council, and this was no different. Elder Kh'alik knew that he had no chance to change their minds, and nodded slowly in defeat.

"**A majority ruling of the Council supersedes my authority on this matter, and I accept the decision. But I fear that you are making a grave error."**

Grand Matron Sh'aan listened carefully while keeping her expression neutral. She was pleased that it took little effort on her part to gain the council's support, but Kh'alik's expression seemed to prove to her that there was more to his stubborn resolve than he was willing to admit. _What are you hiding, Kh'alik? What are you so afraid of?_ While all eyes were not trained on her she hazarded a glance upward, and spotted the high collar of her assistant's robes along the railing overhead. It gave her a measure of reassurance knowing that the young female was following her instructions to the letter. Suddenly she realized that someone had spoken to her, and she quickly refocused her attention on the council.

"**I'm sorry; I had a strange ringing in my ear. Could you please repeat your question?"**

########

High above the floor a long balcony overlooked the chamber. Here gathered the personal assistants of each council member, free to socialize and partake of refreshments while remaining on hand for their respective superiors. Though deemed 'servants' to most Blooded Yautja, it did not stop the attendants from posturing before each other. The area was thick with aggressive musk too long restricted by their servile duties. It was against custom for political aides to challenge each other to combat, but their line of duty gave them alternative weapons – words. Insults flew like shurikens between adversaries, and those who did not choose a side were themselves made targets.

The only one with seeming immunity sat rigidly on a stool by the railing, intently studying the council below. Mr'sah's stylus flew rapidly across her data pad while she observed the council members. She ignored their words since they were being recorded by several devices in the room. Instead she focused her attention on the delegates themselves. Grand Matron Sh'aan had drilled her relentlessly over the years to be highly skilled in reading the body language of others, and now the young aide used that training to the best of her ability. '_Words can have hidden meaning, individuals can lie, but the body holds no secrets from a well trained eye.' Well said, Grand Matron, but did you truly intend for me to study so many at once? _She was about to make another notation when she was bumped from behind. The young assistant whirled around to see that two aides had gotten into a heated argument and the others were backing up to give them room. _How am I supposed to work with these imbeciles flaring their tusks at each other?_ She stood and raised her voice over the rowdy group.

"**While you act like immature pups with too much time on your hands, I have important work to do for the Grand Matron. Would you like me to present her with a list of names when I explain why I was not able to fulfill my duties?" **

The chatter died down almost immediately, though she caught several growls and unfavorable looks before resuming her seat. _I wish Shl'nar were here. They are more behaved when he is around._

########

A warm breeze blew onshore as the two fugitives hauled themselves out of the surf. Kayla looked up and saw the others running up the beach, but before she could move to meet them Kh'aan's hand on her shoulder held her in place.

"What?"

Rather than answer, Kh'aan gently tilted her head to the side, his fingers carefully probing the cut on her scalp. Kayla winced against the tenderness in her skull, but after a moment the surprisingly soothing touch lulled her eyes closed, and she decided to let the hunter prod all he wanted.

"Actually, that feels pretty good. You…you keep that up, ok?"

Kh'aan cocked his head to the side and watched her sway slightly as he checked the wound. _Silly female._ For a moment he gave in to her request, chittering at the contented sigh that she emitted. Just as she rose on the tips of her toes to lean into his fingers, he stopped the motion and instead flicked her sharply on the ear. The marine jumped at the unexpected jab and swiftly punched him in the stomach.

"Ow! Jerk!"

Kh'aan's mandibles twitched with mirth, and his eyes gleamed as he reached for her ear again. Kayla immediately dodged and stepped back before bringing up her fists. The hunter chuckled and twisted out of the way of another punch. As she pulled back her hand he ducked and snared her around the waist, tossing her over his right shoulder. Kayla let out an uncharacteristic shriek and started thrashing in his grasp.

"Kh'aan goddammit you put me down this instant! I have a head injury! Do you want me to puke and black out on you? Kh'aan! I mean it, PUT ME DOWN!"

He snorted and gripped her ankles in his left hand to keep her from trying to kick him. "Still or drop."

The marine froze instantly, but he heard her grumbling under her breath…something about _payback you asshole_, but she remained still. He slogged up onto the shore and crossed the sand to join the others gathered around their kill, and quickly placed Kayla's feet on the ground before her protests started up again. She glared up at him for a second before her gaze moved past him. The smile that spread across her face made Kh'aan turn to see what she was looking at.

The crew was standing around the dead beast in complete awe. Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj were tapping away at their computers taking readings, and their eyes were as big as platters. Mr'aal at the beasts head, and Ti'nuk at its feet, looked back and forth between the creature and the fugitives and could not stop babbling in their shock. Shl'nar could not seem to figure out where he was going. He took two steps toward Kh'aan and Kayla, and then stepped back to the beast, and then repeated the motion several times as though he could not choose between gawking and questioning.

The thrill of the chase still flowing through her system, Kayla 'whooped' and scrambled onto the carcass. Even prone on the sand it was nearly as high as her chest, and it took a bit of effort to climb up. Once standing over the wound from Kh'aan's shuriken, she posed with her arms raised and fists clenched and tried to roar. It would have been an impressive image if not for the crooked smile that hid her barely restrained laughter. Not to be outdone, Kh'aan leapt easily onto the beast, its ribs creaking under his weight. The others laughed while they joked around on their conquest, and Sin'kaj even recorded an image into the scanner at Mr'aal's request. Then suddenly the hunter not-too-gently bumped the human off with his hip. Kayla fell sprawling face-first into the sand with a snarl on her lips, and quickly scrambled back up with revenge in her eyes. Kh'aan braced himself for her impact but she ducked and turned her shoulders, slamming into his thighs and knocking the warrior off of his perch. The others jumped out of the way while human and hunter wrestled for dominance, though after a short minute Kh'aan came out victorious with Kayla dangling upside down by an ankle. The marine frowned and crossed her arms.

"Are you quite finished?"

Kh'aan raised her higher and lowered his face until they were inches apart. "May be." Kayla stuck her tongue out at him and he shook her around by her foot, but they begrudgingly agreed on a truce.

Their humor spent for the moment, he lowered her to the sand and they turned their attention to the others. Shl'nar approached and clapped a hand on each of their shoulders, knocking Kayla to her knees. Before the aide could speak Mr'aal beat him to it, shuffling over to join them.

"**I have never seen anything like that in my life! That was incredible!"**

Shl'nar nodded in agreement while pulling the human to her feet. **"I knew that you were both highly skilled, but to see such precision execution in the heat of the moment…I still cannot believe my eyes."**

Kh'aan glanced at Kayla and his mandibles twisted into a smirk. She was trying to follow the conversation but he knew that she could not understand their language, and her brow furrowed as her eyes darted to each speaker. Finally he nudged her lightly to gain her attention.

"Praise."

The marine nodded in understanding, but continued to listen intently. Kh'aan snorted and turned back to the beast as the master and apprentice stepped around to join them.

"**This thing is amazing!"** Fh'zaan exclaimed, his enthusiasm unchecked. **"Its body structure would seem like too much mass to carry, but it has numerous small air pockets in its tissues, I believe to make it buoyant." **

Kh'aan translated for Kayla while the engineers spouted off their readings. She reached out and ran a hand over its pebbly texture, and then glanced to the side at Kh'aan's legs and compared the texture under her fingers with the appearance of the hunter's skin. _Definitely descended from reptiles, no doubt about it._ As she stood up another question popped in her head.

"I wonder if it is edible."

Kh'aan's eyes snapped to her and she easily read his surprise. For a moment she was confused.

"What?"

When she spoke, he had just caught the end of the conversation between master and apprentice. **"… these dense bones may be useful." "What I want to know is if we can eat it. I'm hungry."**

Shl'nar heard the human at the same time that the young engineer spoke, and he and Kh'aan laughed out loud. The hunter turned amused eyes to Kayla.

"Both ask same…can we eat."

She laughed while the aide translated for Sin'kaj. The apprentice appeared mortified for a moment before he met the human's eyes. She smiled warmly and rubbed her stomach, easing his embarrassment. "It looks like we have our mission for the next few hours. Who isn't hungry?"

The hunters talked amongst themselves briefly before everyone agreed to stop for a meal. Kh'aan stepped back to the human and relayed the decision. "All hungry. Not waste kill." Kayla nodded in agreement before kneeling to inspect the creature's teeth.

Meanwhile, Shl'nar turned to the others to delegate responsibilities. **"Fh'zaan, Sin'kaj? As our resident engineers I will need you to build a suitable spit to roast this beast. We could never cook it all in the ship. Ti'nuk, you will help me carve it into manageable pieces. Mr'aal?"**

The aide turned to see the old healer shuffling toward the ship. He turned and waved away their concern. **"There is something that I need to take care of. I will be ready by the time the meal is prepared." **His old eyes met Kayla's and he patted the secret pocket in his robes. She immediately grinned and then hid her smile behind her hand.

While the others got to work Kh'aan climbed onto the beast and retrieved his shuriken. He grunted when he noticed that one of the blades had snapped, but with their limited resources he had no intention of writing it off as lost. He closed it as best he could and was reattaching it to his belt when Kayla spoke, her words nearly knocking him off of his feet.

"Well, I guess we'll go gather wood. Come on, Kh'aan."

She turned to the hunter only to be met with an expression of extreme displeasure, a look she'd seen before when asking Lieutenant Grady to help reattach a wheel to their transport. Kh'aan's mandibles twitched rapidly and a furrow formed between his eyes. He stood to his full height and stepped into her personal space.

"Me get wood?" Kh'aan snorted and crossed his arms as though to say '**As If**!' He tilted his head toward the apprentice, his eyes daring her to try to send him to do menial labor.

The human growled for a moment before memory caught up with her. _He's practically royalty if the Firstborn title means anything. No wonder he thinks it's beneath him to gather wood. Stubborn ox!_ She raised her hands in surrender and tried to diffuse his anger.

"I'm sorry. I realize that you may not like the idea of being reduced to a pack mule, but think about it logically." The hunter sneered but she pressed on. "We're the ones who will be stuck here. We're the ones who will need to learn this island, right? So why send them to get lost? What better way to start than gather wood? It's not beneath you, it's recon."

Kh'aan, every bit the regal Firstborn in that moment, started to protest when her logic got through to him. He dropped his head into his hand for a moment before he met her eyes.

"Recon. Accept. Not mool."

"Not what?" She tried not to giggle.

The hunter snorted and turned toward the valley. "Never mind."

Shl'nar and Ti'nuk watched them head through the pass and both chittered in disbelief. **"Had we asked him to gather wood," **the aide commented, **"he would have skewered us." **Ti'nuk nodded in agreement and they refocused their attention on the beast.

########

Kh'aan was silent until they reached the tree line and Kayla felt bad for insulting him, as she was sure was the case. She was about to try to lighten the mood with a good joke when he stopped walking and turned to her, speaking slowly.

"I am sorry. You are right, I am wrong."

Kayla smiled, noting that he was trying hard to improve his English. "It's ok. I'm sorry too. I forgot that you're royalty…Firstborn and all. Human royalty don't even dress themselves, so asking you to gather wood must have been a pretty big insult. I didn't mean to."

Kh'aan gazed at her intently for another moment before reaching over to flick her ear. Before she could retaliate he walked over to the tree line and stopped. Turning to the human, he took a moment to stretch his arms over his head and crack his spine. "What way?"

Kayla glanced to the left and right, and then at the tangle of jungle before them. "Best not to get lost right now…so why don't we just follow the edge of the trees? I'll go right, you left, and we'll go 100 steps and turn back. Sound good?"

The hunter mulled over her suggestion, agreeing that they could accomplish their goal without going far, and such a limit would keep them from wondering if the other got lost. He met her eyes and nodded.

"Great! Happy hunting! I'll meet you back here."

He watched her shuffle down the line, step into the trees and toss out a piece of wood from the ground. This surprised him, since he'd intended to simply take down several trees. "Kayla!"

The human turned around. "Yeah?"

"Why ground?"

Kayla was startled by his question for a moment before 'royalty…duh' rang through her mind. "Dry, dead wood burns better. Pick it up from the ground instead of taking down a tree, ok?"

Kh'aan stared after her for a moment longer before continuing on his way. _Everything burns if you blast it. Why bother scavenging when you can take a tree? _Ignoring his thoughts, he suddenly remembered to count his steps and started scanning the ground for fallen logs.

A while later Kh'aan returned to their starting point laden with wood. He had tied up several bundles for easy transport, but wound up with so many that he'd been forced to strap them to his body like so many trophies. Rather than remove them while he waited for Kayla, the weary hunter sat down and leaned against a tree to rest. From this vantage he could see clear through the pass to an endless horizon of ocean. _This planet is not so bad. If not for the lack of decent 'hunting' and the toxic nebula, I could live here. A nice hideaway from Kh'alik and my brother. _The thought of Kh'val made his blood boil, but he pushed down the anger as Kayla came into view around a bend of the trees.

The marine spotted her companion and paused to catch her breath. He rose to his feet and she chuckled at the image he presented. _He's a lumberjack and he's ok! I wish I had an image recorder._ She reigned in her amusement and heaved again at her load, dragging a large platform across the sand laden with wood. Kh'aan reached her side and grasped more of the vine she was holding.

"Busy?"

The human snorted and tried to synchronize with his stride so that he did not pull the load over top of her. "As I came back gathering the wood I'd found, I realized that there was more than I could carry. I had to improvise. This will be useful later though. Never know when you need a…um…" She glanced back at the contraption – several logs lashed together with vines, with a mountain of wood held precariously in place by more vines criss-crossed over the top.

"Raft," the hunter muttered. "May float."

Kayla chuckled and shook her head, readjusting her grip on the vines. "I'm not going out on that ocean in anything less than an attack sub."

They hauled their loads out to the beach, and were shocked by the enormous frame standing on the sand. Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj shuffled around it checking the supports, but when Kh'aan and Kayla appeared they stopped to show off their accomplishment. Eight stripped trees stood in A-frames surrounding one tree buried in the ground in the center. Across the top were two thinner tree trunks tapered to points on each end and crossing each other over the post in the middle. The whole structure stood six feet high and nearly fifteen feet across, and they had even dug a moat around the central post to hold water to keep it from burning.

Kayla dropped her vines and whistled. "That's a mighty fine piece of engineering, boys! I'm impressed." To reinforce her point, she walked over and reached up to put a hand on their shoulders – she was getting used to this show of approval. Master and apprentice nodded their thanks, and then moved to help Kh'aan with the wood. The marine gazed at their construction with full appreciation, and was about to help build the fire when her vision blurred. She stumbled forward a step and a wave of dizziness shook her from head to toe.

Kh'aan saw a strange blur out of the corner of his eye, and turned in time to see Kayla tipping forward. He dropped the load of wood in his hands and barely made it to her side before she hit the ground. Her body trembled in his arms and she struggled to stand upright.

"Oh man, I…I think I need to lay down." Kayla's head swam and she knew in an instant that it was fatigue. She'd felt the signs before but never this severe. Blearily she peered up at Kh'aan, only to see three of him gazing down at her.

The hunter's worry mounted when Kayla raised a finger and pointed to him, and then to either side of him as though seeing more than one. He grasped her finger to stop her from counting and focus on the real him. "Need sleep."

"Yeah, that's an understatement. I'm…I'm going to lie down." She held onto the hunter's arm for another moment to get her bearings, and then let go and slowly shuffled toward the ship. Kh'aan hurried to help her but she waved him off. "I'm ok. Once I get to the ship there will be plenty of surfaces to lean on." She gave him a weak smile and then returned her focus to her feet.

Kh'aan stayed back and watched to make sure that she didn't fall before returning to the engineers. Fh'zaan pulled him aside, worry in his eyes.

"**Is she alright?"** Kh'aan nodded absently, his gaze returning to the ramp to see the marine on her hands and knees crawling into the ship. Fh'zaan could not help the suspicion seeping through his nerves. **"I have heard that oomans are very susceptible to disease and illness. Could she be sick?"**

Kh'aan stared at the engineer for a long moment before answering, the question something that he had not considered. **"No. Kayla would know if she was ill, and she would tell me."**

Fh'zaan nodded and dropped the subject, turning his attention back to preparing the fire. They worked swiftly to prepare a suitable wood pile, and then filled the moat the best they could. The sand soaked up most of the liquid and made the moat nearly pointless, but keeping it moist would prevent the fire from reaching the central post. Kh'aan tried to keep his mind on the task at hand, but the engineer's words began to unnerve him. Finally he could not ignore his conscience, told Fh'zaan that he'd be right back, and headed inside to speak with Mr'aal.

Meanwhile, Kayla heaved to her feet once she reached the top of the ramp. The world spun around her and her legs felt like gelatin, and she wondered exactly how long it had been since her last nap. _I know I slept before we landed, but how long ago was that? Days?_ Suddenly her feet ceased cooperating and she toppled to the floor, the grating biting into her hands. A blurry image materialized before her and she tried to rise to greet it, but all motor functions were staging a revolt and she could barely raise her head.

Mr'aal was in the middle of processing the cinteliptas leaves when he heard a muffled bang from the corridor. He shuffled out of the medical bay to see Kayla on the floor, her arms shaking in an effort to hold her up. She tried to stand and he saw the temperature under her skin fluctuate erratically. Without a second thought the old healer used all of his strength to heave the human to her feet. She nearly pulled him down but he was able to use her momentum to their advantage, turning her so that they both stumbled into the medical bay. The females head lolled to the side as they crossed the floor, and she muttered incoherently under her breath. The old healer was beside himself with concern. _What ails you, young one? I hope you are not ill. Where is Kh'aan? He should be seeing to you himself. _They reached the side of the examination platform, and Kayla must have had a moment of clarity because she braced both hands on the surface and rolled herself onto it with little effort.

Kayla felt the exam bed's cool surface under her back and sighed._ Mental note to self: must reinvent the clock for this planet. _The moment her head hit the thin pillow, the dark oblivion of sleep swallowed her.

Mr'aal quickly scanned her and accessed the readings at his station. What he saw had him on his feet and out of the medical bay faster than he would have thought himself capable. He had just reached the access ramp when Kh'aan came striding up to meet him, concern radiating like a cloud around him.

"**I need you to check Kayla, to makes sure that she has not contracted some illness from this planet." **

The flustered old healer shook his head. **"No, she is not ill. She collapsed outside of the medical bay and I managed to get her to the examination platform before she completely lost consciousness."** He ushered the hunter into the ship and over to a panel on the wall, bringing up the scans of the human. **"Her body is in perfect health. She is simply exhausted."**

Kh'aan felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that her well being was his responsibility…when she let him get away with it. **"How long has she been awake?"**

Mr'aal pierced him with a stern gaze that made the hunter feel even worse. "**The last time she slept was before we landed, which by our time was two days ago."** He saw the shock cross Kh'aan's face and nodded gravely. **"What is that by ooman time?"**

The former Firstborn hung his head, ashamed to not have noticed soon enough to save her this exhaustion. **"Nearly four days by ooman time."** He met Mr'aal's eyes. **"I did not realize…"**

The old healer rested a hand on his arm and tried to diffuse the warrior's remorse. **"I am sure that she did not realize either. You both have been outside since we landed, and with the lack of changing light on this planet it is no wonder that you lost track of time."**

Just then Sin'kaj called for Kh'aan from outside. The hunter nodded to Mr'aal before heading down the ramp. He stopped at the bottom and turned back to the healer. **"Please make sure that she sleeps until the meal is prepared. I will wake her then."**

Mr'aal nodded and turned back down the corridor. _He may not feel what I think he does for her, but he feels enough to experience guilt. It is a relief that she is not ill._

########

The scent of roasting meat wafted into the ship and overwhelmed the atmospheric processors. The machinery had no chance to diffuse the aroma. It seeped through every conduit and every corridor, until even the environmentally sealed medical bay was filled with the mouthwatering smell. Mr'aal made his way to the access ramp, having been finishing his special brew for the past three hours. He had kept a close eye on the slumbering human, and was happy to note that her heat had returned to normal as she slept.

He was drawn from his thoughts by Kh'aan shuffling up the ramp. The hunter showed signs of fatigue as well, but nowhere near as extreme as his companion. **"Is Kayla awake?"**

"**No,"** the healer replied, **"I will get her." **He turned back to the medical bay with Kh'aan on his heels.

They stepped into the room to see the female taking deep breaths in her sleep, a hum on every exhale. However, as the door hissed shut behind them the unusual noise jolted her awake. Kh'aan moved forward to calm her when suddenly she flipped from the platform, rising on her shoulders to roll off of the end, simultaneously grasping the dagger on her thigh. The moment her feet hit the floor she let the blade fly before flipping backwards again and drawing another weapon. The dagger embedded in the wall mere inches from Mr'aal's head, and the old healer paled by several shades while he watched the hilt rock back and forth from the impact. She looked up at them and Kh'aan was surprised to feel a chill curl down his spine. This was not the Kayla he knew. Her eyes were cold and calculating; a piercing gaze that locked onto them and sized up the threat that he and Mr'aal posed. Every muscle in her body was tense and her toes flexed in the sandals as though she were poised to spring again. _This is the face behind the helmet, the soldier who fought me on the ice moon – and nearly killed me. _

Kh'aan raised his hands to show that he meant no harm and took a tentative step forward. Kayla's eyes snapped to him and her upper lip curled back over her teeth as her grip tightened on the second knife. For a moment the hunter wondered if he would have to incapacitate her, but to his relief her stance suddenly relaxed.

Kayla blinked several times before awareness overcame instinct and she recognized Kh'aan, Mr'aal and the medical bay. The knife fell from her grasp and clattered to the floor, and she stared in shame at the blade notched dangerously close to the healer. _Oh god, what have I done?_ She rose to her feet wringing her hands, and tried to catch Mr'aal's gaze but the healer would not look at her. She turned her eyes to Kh'aan, and for a moment saw the tension in his frame before his gaze softened and he gently rested a hand on her shoulder. Gulping down the lump in her throat, she nodded and tried to shake off her guilt.

"Um…is dinner ready?"

He nodded and stepped aside so that she could leave the bay, her breath hitching audibly when Mr'aal dashed out of the room so quickly that he stumbled over his robes. Kh'aan winced and paused a moment to collect his thoughts. _I must never underestimate her. A surprise like that could mean my death…or hers. _He shook his head roughly and hurried after them, hoping that he could talk to Mr'aal before the healer spoke to anyone else. _And here I am worried that Kh'val would tear her apart. Perhaps I should be concerned for him…if he weren't becoming a Bad Blood._ The image of Kayla beating his brother senseless put a smile on his face, and his steps were light as his feet hit the sand.

########

Space passed by the forward viewport in a blur as the sleek vessel raced across the stars. All systems were set for automated functioning, and the engines hummed as they propelled the ship along its course. While the mechanical marvel operated itself at peak efficiency, its master slumbered fitfully in the bedchamber – growls and snarls occasionally echoing through the corridors.

_The Arbitrator stalked his prey through the trees, continually aware of the looming shadow in his wake. He had a perfect plan to deal with his pursuer, and led him further into the jungle while he chased down the miniscule treat ahead. _

_His prey suddenly veered off of the trail and headed toward a large river, perhaps hoping to lose the Arbitrator in the water. He sneered, delighted at the futility of such a challenge, and roared as he picked up speed. His call was answered by a bellow from behind followed by the loss of his pursuer's stealth as he crashed forward in an effort to cut the Arbitrator off._

"_**You are a pathetic disgrace!"**__ He called over his shoulder. __**"You have no chance to stop me!"**_

_He skidded to a stop at the river's edge and scented the air. His quarry had its own plan, he noticed; its scent seemed to blend with the river, and yet it was faint as though the little creature had not gone that way. Immediately he spun and locked eyes with his prey – soaked in river water and hiding up in a tree in an effort to lose him._

"_**Nice try, pet."**__ He snarled, immediately firing a plasma blast at the tree. The trunk shattered into a thousand fragments and dropped his prey to the ground in a heap. It cried out in pain and the Arbitrator saw that it had landed on debris from the tree and was impaled through the shoulder and abdomen by branches, quite effectively pinned. As he stepped forward to take advantage he was knocked to the ground from behind. A heavy foot kicked him in the side before he was able to roll away, and the Arbitrator snarled against the pain before leaping to his feet to face the hunter. _

"_**Still protecting your pet?"**_

"_**I will kill you, honorless Bad Blood!"**_

"_**Not before I see the life drain from its body as it dangles from my blades!"**_

_The hunter roared and charged, slashing wildly with his gauntlet while attempting to move between predator and prey. He tried to spare the small creature a glance but received deep cuts across his chest as a result._

"_**You're getting sloppy because of that thing. It will be easy to end you!"**_

_The hunter stepped back in shock at the insult before he snarled and charged forward. The Arbitrator easily side-stepped his advance and in one swift move stabbed his blades through the hunter's spine. His adversary fell to the ground in an instant – a surprised and pained gasp his only sound. The Arbitrator stepped over to the fallen hunter and pulled him to his knees by his hair. He pointed to the delectable morsel pinned beneath the tree and couldn't help but laugh when it reached for the hunter. _

"_**Now you get to watch as I tear your pet apart."**__ He pressed his cheek to the hunters face and purred. __**"I find myself so excited that I can hardly withstand the anticipation! But first…your front row seat!"**_

_He threw the hunter against a tree and proceeded to tie him up. He had just finished the last knot when he heard a hitched cry and glanced over to see that his prey had rather violently dislodged itself from the debris and was attempting to run away. He chuckled and patted his captive on the head._

"_**Wayward pups! Always need looking after, do they not? Stay right there!"**_

_In four strides he overtook the injured weakling and reached for its throat, but it drew a weapon and slashed at his arm. The pain was easy to ignore and the Arbitrator quickly subdued his quarry, carrying it by the throat back to the downed hunter. _

"_**Why would you care so much for something that is so worthless?" **__He glanced at the gasping creature with disdain. __**"No matter. I'll show you just how pitiful this creature is, and then perhaps you might see reason before I end your life."**_

_The paralyzed hunter could do nothing but watch as the Arbitrator proceeded to beat the weakened creature relentlessly. Fist after fist impacted with the soft body, clawed feet made each kick rip into its skin, and the Arbitrator stopped only when his prey could no longer cry out. _

_Blood racing through his veins, he could not resist the urge that shuddered through him. With a bellowing roar he fell on the broken creature, tearing at its garments and taking skin in his claws. An eerie high-pitched squeal of glee escaped his throat when he paused to lick the blood from his fingers, and his eyes glowed as he gazed hungrily at his conquest. Faintly he heard weak cries from over his shoulder, but he was too enflamed to pay attention. As more bloody flesh became exposed a fever like no other he'd ever felt consumed him. The broken creature whined pitifully when it read the look in his eyes, but it had no chance for escape. The Arbitrator gripped its small hips violently, digging his claws into the skin to grasp bone as he shoved aside his loin cloth. A thunderous roar ripped from his throat as he savagely thrust into the beaten body, and his cry of triumph was echoed by a miserable wail from the hunter tied to the tree._

"_**Stop! Leave her alone! No!"**_

_The Arbitrator found one moment of lucidity in the haze that clouded his mind, and turned over his shoulder to sneer at his brother. __**"Jealous? You should be!"**_

_The creature in his grasp had no chance at reprieve. Overwhelmed by such a primal urge, the Arbitrator did not stop to think about the repercussions of his actions. In his mind there was no past or future; only this superb moment in which he reveled in the suffering of his prey, and through this prey, his brother. By the time he found release and could regain control of his limbs, the human was nothing more than a bloody sack of bones on the forest floor, her body shredded by his claws and nearly ripped in two by his lust. Panting in his euphoria, the Arbitrator sat back to appreciate his handiwork, and then leaned forward to brush the hair from her face so that he could see the life leave her eyes. He was about to throw a quip over his shoulder at his brother when the human's remaining eye opened and she spoke._

"_**Approaching designated coordinates. Deactivate automatic navigation. Approaching designated coordinates. Deactivate automatic navigation."**_

Kh'val's eyes shot open and he sprang from his sleeping platform before reaching a fully awakened state. Remnants of the dream clung to his senses like condensation on glass, and he had to take several deep breaths before he felt clear-headed enough to move. As he left his bedchamber and headed for the control room he couldn't help but shudder at the residual sensations, and a disturbingly eager expression crossed his features.

By the time he reached the control room he was purring.


	25. Chapter 25

AN: I screwed up with the dialog in the last chapter, and so must revise. **Bold = yautja speak.** Regular = English (or your preferred native tongue). Sorry for the confusion! -da Cap'n

########

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 25 – Ready or Not_

High Elder Kh'alik followed Grand Matron Sh'aan out of the council chamber, the ten hour fiasco finally over and unresolved as far as he was concerned. _They are fools! If they do not implement measures to at least contain rumor of this, Kh'aan's betrayal will breed within the clans until someone follows his lead. Sympathy for prey! Taking ooman females as pets…_he snorted and shook his head to halt the train of thought, the sound causing the Grand Matron to stop and turn around.

"**High Elder?"**

He glared at her and allowed his fury at her decision to save him from his nightmares. **"How could you let them brush this aside? You know that we must contain Kh'aan at all costs."**

Sh'aan's eyes widened before she bit back a snarl. **"You make it sound as though you want him killed, and if that is the case I cannot support you without knowing exactly what happened."** She huffed at him in annoyance. **"What has gotten into you, Kh'alik? What are you so afraid of that you would behave this irrationally?"**

He snarled and turned away from her. **"If you will not listen to reason then I have nothing to tell you."**

"_**I**_** should listen to reason?"** The Grand Matron could not stop the growl that rumbled from her throat. She did not have time for another childish argument, this thought reinforced by the appearance of Mr'sah behind the High Elder. She shut her eyes tightly and took several deep breaths before meeting his gaze. **"I have nothing further to say to you at this time, Elder Kh'alik. I bid you good day."**

She quickly marched past him without another glance, and the frustrated Elder shook his head roughly and let out a bark of exasperation before heading toward his chambers. Images from his nightmare seeped into his mind and he snarled. _You should share my concern, Grand Matron._ _I must find him before it is too late. _

Kh'alik reached his personal offices and swiftly entered before any would catch his scent and realize his mood. The weary male shuffled around his desk and collapsed into the seat with a loud groan. Almost the minute his backside hit the cushion he suddenly remembered his last remote chance.

"**Shl'nar!" **

He leaned forward and activated communications, praying that the aide will answer his call.

########

Grand Matron Sh'aan stormed through the halls to her chambers, those in her path dashing out of the way while Mr'sah rushed to keep up. The regal female snarled at her chamber door as it hissed open too slowly for her liking, and once they were both in the room she let out a frustrated growl. Mr'sah stood back and watched Sh'aan pace furious circles around her desk.

"**He is INFURIATING! How could he be so blind to his own actions? The Council will have no problem finding reason to reprimand him if he does not contain himself. And he has the audacity to blame me!"**

She fell into her chair with a low grunt and huffed in her rage for a few more minutes before her eyes met those of her assistant. Sh'aan took a deep breath and motioned Mr'sah to a seat.

"**Forgive me. Tell me what you have learned."**

The young aide eased into the chair opposite the desk and activated her data padd. She did not want to start off with more bad news, and so scanned her notes for something positive. There was not much to choose from. **"Half of the Council seemed sympathetic to Kh'aan's plight, Grand Matron. Though they did not offer much comment, the delegates from the Trikandis clan could not hide their aggression whenever the High Elder mentioned punishment. They do not like what he is suggesting. **

"**Also, I believe that Elder Unakandi will be able to sway Matron Rahsil even though she voiced her agreement with High Elder Kh'alik. I noticed that she did not look at the High Elder, even when she addressed him."** Mr'sah scanned her notes for anything else that might help. **"Solaris and Beh'jhadi clans kept their eyes fixed on you during the meeting. It is possible that they also agree with you, though it appeared that Elder Wulk of Solaris was being manipulated by Matron Oniku – whenever she voiced her opinion he would flinch before echoing her sentiments. Elder Nek'am and Matron Kil'ikai of Dark Blade clan clearly favor caution and knowledge over immediate action. Also, they have asked to speak with you later today."**

Sh'aan felt her fury fading while her assistant recounted her observations. The knowledge that at least some of the Council would see reason gave her hope that they could see this through without bloodshed. She understood completely the need to punish to the fullest extent of the law if necessary, but the thought of executing Kh'aan tore at her soul no matter what his crime. **"And what about the others?"**

Mr'sah flinched and lowered her eyes. **"Roliaan and Halkis clans will never agree to your terms. They whispered whenever you spoke, and I could almost see the rage coming from them. If they had their way, I believe they would send out search parties themselves and bring back the Firstborn's head. They will require monitoring. Also, Matron Xixxa and Elder Qh'altik barely paid attention to the meeting after the initial opening remarks. I doubt they care about the plight of the Firstborn, being from the furthest clan in the galaxy. They usually have no concern for matters pertaining to anything other than their own sector, and this seems to be no exception."**

Sh'aan squeezed her eyes shut and growled. **"Of course…but that means that they can be swayed if it becomes necessary."** She motioned for the aide to continue.

"**Vicendu clan was not present at the meeting, possibly due to the unrest on their planet. The delegates from Fireheart and Jumalsa seemed indifferent, but they always do unless under direct threat. As for Nightblood clan, I could tell that they will follow whatever decision High Elder Kh'alik makes. You still have some personal animosity with them, correct?"**

The Grand Matron flinched but nodded. **"Yes. They will disagree with me simply out of spite."** She sat up and leaned her elbows on her desk before reaching for the data padd. Glancing at the notations, she pondered exactly how difficult the next few weeks or months would be. She returned the device to Mr'sah before leaning back in her seat.

"**Tell me your personal impressions, Mr'sah."** The young aide's eyes grew wide in question. **"What I mean to say is what do you think of this situation?"**

Her assistant gnawed on a talon while she composed her words. Finally she huffed and met the Grand Matron's gaze. "I **think that the Firstborn is in dire peril and it will take a miracle to save him." **Her expression of dread fit the somber tone of her words.

Grand Matron Sh'aan was a little surprised at the young female's grave analysis, considering that she usually kept her emotions under control. **"What makes you think so?"**

"**Well, what I know of him is contrary to what is happening. He is a proud and mighty warrior; he strictly follows the code as though he'd written it himself; he has never gone against the will of the Council and has expressed his dislike of those who question their law."** Her mandibles twitched in the beginning of a smile. **"He hates oomans with a passion I have never seen outside of Bad Bloods, and yet his honor is sound and true. With that in mind, I can't help but wonder why he would have left everything he's ever known behind for the sake of one ooman."**

Sh'aan was quiet for a long moment before she sighed, deciding to let Mr'sah in on a little secret that had been kept from the council. **"The ooman is female."**

"**What!"** Mr'sah could not believe what she was hearing, and her entire outlook on the situation changed in an instant. **"You don't think that he…"**

"**No."** Sh'aan did not believe for a second that her Firstborn would choose to mate with an inferior species. **"Kh'aan has his standards. Whatever reasoning behind his actions, mating with her is not one of them."**

The aide began to nibble her talons again. **"High Elder Kh'alik does not think so, does he? That is why he is so adamant that the Firstborn be contained."**

"**That has occurred to me,"** Sh'aan commented with some reservation. **"He seems so terrified of allowing Kh'aan any more time out there than necessary, as though he thinks that time is running out."** Suddenly she sat up, her eyes wide. **"Mating season is only months away! He wants Kh'aan home to match him with a proper female before his needs overwhelm him. How could I have been so blind?"**

Mr'sah watched as the Grand Matron lowered her forehead to the desk and took several deep breaths. She hesitated to say anything but felt bad for her superior and tried to raise her spirits. **"If nothing else, Grand Matron, you can rest assured that Kh'aan will not do anything that he does not want to do."** The words sounded stupid to her but when Sh'aan raised her head and gave her a small smile, Mr'sah grinned back.

"**I hope so, Mr'sah."** Sh'aan's voice was quiet in her concern. **"I hope so."**

########

Kh'aan stepped onto the sand and took a deep breath, spreading his mandibles to take in as much of the mouthwatering scent as his receptors could handle. His stomach grumbled in response and he had to chuckle. _Even her stomach is affecting mine. It did not start making noises until she came along with her vocal bodily functions._ He glanced toward the fire and saw the technicians bustling around with pieces of meat in various states of doneness. Shl'nar knelt nearby preparing ration packs, though the aide kept an eye on Kayla who sat a distance away watching them. Kh'aan felt a twinge of emotion that he could not name; her expression was so full of remorse and shame that he could easily imagine the mental punishment that she was inflicting on herself. A glance around the beach told him that Mr'aal was not outside, and he turned and reentered the ship to talk with the old healer about what had just happened.

Mr'aal was shuffling down the corridor toward the access stairs when Kh'aan reached the main deck. He started for a moment and nearly lost his grip on the large jug in his hands. **"Firstborn. I was just getting this to take outside for our meal."**

Kh'aan caught the aroma of freshly brewed c'tnlip from the jug and couldn't stop himself from leaning forward to take another sniff. **"Where did you get that?"**

The old healer's expression softened. **"I found the ****cinteliptas**** plant when…when your friend took me exploring. I will have to give you the recipe before we leave."** He met the hunter's eyes before looking away.

"**About that, Mr'aal…" **Kh'aan took a deep breath. **"Kayla meant you no harm. I am certain that she was simply surprised and disoriented." **

Mr'aal shuddered almost imperceptibly; only Kh'aan's heightened senses caught his discomfort. **"I fear that my judgment must be failing in my old age. I was…frightened of her." **

Kh'aan patted the healer's shoulder lightly before lowering his voice. **"To be honest, for a moment I was as well**." Mr'aal raised surprised eyes and the hunter nodded. **"Her behavior since we began this journey has been markedly different from that of the soldier I fought on the ice moon. But the soldier is still there…we woke her up."**

The ancient healer hung his head and started down the stairs. **"When you said that she had nearly bested you, I did not believe it. Even when Shl'nar told me that she had attacked him on your ship I remained dubious. It did not seem possible that something so small and harmless in appearance could pose a danger, and my opinion was reinforced when she escorted me through the valley. The creature that demonstrated such care and concern for my well being could not be the same one you fought, or so I wanted to believe." **He sighed dejectedly. **"I must have been deluding myself. After what she did to that beast on the beach, and just now in the medical bay..."**

"**Oomans are complicated creatures, Mr'aal. I have encountered and battled many, and I still do not understand them. The ease with which she has adjusted to our situation is surprise enough, and I must continually remind myself not to underestimate her."**

Kh'aan caught the scent of regret from the old healer and held his shoulder to stop him from walking down the ramp. **"Kayla is overwhelmed with remorse for threatening you, Mr'aal. If you hold no animosity, please speak with her. She will never forgive herself if you do not."** He didn't add that the expression on her face was tearing him apart.

Mr'aal nodded and squared his shoulders. **"I made this a little milder so that it would not be such a shock to her system. I would like her to try it first." **He snorted out a determined breath and shuffled down the ramp. Kh'aan watched as he walked directly to the human, and relief flooded through him.

_Like a pup that has shamed her sire. I did not realize that Mr'aal meant so much to her._

########

Kayla watched the hunters bustle around the fire finishing up their meal. Their efficiency was astounding and reminded her of her grandmother. _Holiday dinners were never a hassle with Gram. Everything was done at once, on schedule, without a second wasted. Dishes were cleaned before we even sat down, and by the time we were stuffed there was nothing to do but sit and digest. She would like these guys._

Movement on the sand made her turn to see Mr'aal approaching her slowly, an earthen jug in his hands that steamed even in the warm air. He stopped and bowed slightly before his mandibles quirked in question. Unsure what to do, she nodded and patted the sand next to her. Mr'aal eased down and they sat in heavy silence for several minutes before she sighed in frustration.

Unknown to them, Kh'aan had moved over to stand nearby, curious to see how they mended the rift that had formed between them. He watched as Kayla suddenly crawled in front of Mr'aal and began making hand gestures to correspond with her words.

"I am SO sorry for what I did to you." Her right hand touched her chest and her facial features showed remorse that could not be mistaken. Then she mimed throwing the blade and pointed to Mr'aal before bowing low and waving her hands in a gesture Kh'aan had seen before – it signified 'no'.

"I…I would never harm you, I would rather take my own life." She pointed to Mr'aal as though holding a weapon and repeated the 'no' gesture frantically before pointing the imaginary weapon to herself, her eyes wide. If Kh'aan had not heard her words, he still would have understood her meaning.

"Please…I beg you to forgive me." She clasped her hands to her chest and her beseeching eyes held the healer's gaze. Then she bowed low until her short hair dragged through the sand.

Kh'aan watched Mr'aal's posture as he could not see his face. The healer's head was cocked to the side, and his shoulders and spine were as straight as his old bones would allow. He placed the jug in the sand to free his hands before reaching forward to tuck a finger under her chin and raise her face from the sand.

"**I understand now, young one." **He pointed to himself before tapping his head with a talon and nodding. **"You are first and foremost a warrior, and I must not forget this."** He reached forward to gesture to the blade on her thigh and pointed to her. Then he grasped her hands firmly and nodded while his mandibles tilted into a smile. **"I trust you with my life, my ooman friend."** He clenched a fist to his chest and bowed until his forehead touched hers, and Kh'aan did not miss the reflection of moisture on Kayla's face before she wiped it away and smiled brightly at the healer. They clasped hands tightly like the oldest of friends before she gestured to the jug and made a drinking motion.

"Is that your magic elixir?"

Kh'aan had heard enough and walked over to the fire. The knowledge that they had reconciled was like a weight lifting from his shoulders, and while he watched Shl'nar and the technicians he pondered its significance. _Why is it so important that they get along…that they approve of her? __**Because they are risking their lives for us, and I would not want them to feel misguided in their assistance.**__ No…it is because you want them to see the same honor in her that you do; you want them to see her through your eyes, and not through the eyes of the clan.__** They have already left the views of the clan behind or they would not help us.**_

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Shl'nar was sealing ration packs full of meat when Kh'aan reached the fire, and the hunter slipped over and snatched the package from the aide's hands. **"How is it?" **He pulled a piece from the pack and devoured it in one bite.

Shl'nar jumped back in surprise before growling half-heartedly at Kh'aan. **"That entire pack was nearly wasted in the sand, you fool!"** His jaw dropped when Kh'aan's eyes rolled in his head and he eagerly snatched another strip. **"I take it the meat is edible?"**

Kh'aan had never tasted anything so delicious in his life. For a predatory species the beast they killed was remarkably flavorful, and the meat was tender and seemed to melt the moment it touched his mouth. **"Edible is an understatement. **_**Paya's hide made flesh!**_** Give me more!"** He reached for another strip but Shl'nar snatched the pack from his hands.

"**This is for your reserves. Take some from what Ti'nuk is carving if you are so impatient to eat."** Kh'aan fixed him with an amused but disgruntled stare, and looked as though he would fight the aide for the ration pack when they heard a very non-yautja groan from the other side of the fire. Their heads snapped up to see Kayla swaying where she sat, a cup of Mr'aal's brew in her hands.

"This Is EVIL!" She leaned on the healer's shoulder for a moment before sitting up to smile at him. Then she unexpectedly threw her head back and swallowed the whole serving in one gulp. Mr'aal gasped and snatched the collapsible cup from her hands. She turned pleading eyes to him that Kh'aan knew the healer would not be able to resist, and Mr'aal reluctantly poured another few sips into the cup and handed it back. "Oh please, sir, may I have some more?"

Shl'nar glanced up at the technicians before rising to stand next to the hunter. **"What is she drinking?" **

Before Kh'aan could answer Mr'aal rose and shuffled over, handing out little disks that each one of them tapped in the middle to form a small metal cup. ** "I found something on this island that I believe we could all use at the moment. Stop that!" **He batted away Kayla's hand as she tried to tip the jug and pour herself another taste. The human laughed and backed away to wait her turn. Mr'aal gave a serving to each of them and poured one for himself before refilling hers.

They stood taking in the intoxicating aroma before Shl'nar raised his cup with a nod to Kh'aan and Kayla. **"Our adventure is not over, and yours is just beginning. May Paya watch over us all."** Kh'aan quickly translated for the human before the hunters roared their agreement with the toast. She included her own 'huzzah' and drained her cup before moving to help the technicians serve their meal.

########

Dinner was devoured in record time, the delectable meat too tasty to savor. Before long the six yautja and one human were too stuffed to move. They lounged around the fire in idle conversation, occasionally passing around the jug of c'ntlip but otherwise lethargic in their gluttony.

Kayla refilled her and Kh'aan's cups before returning the jug to the healer, and then shuffled over to fall gracelessly to the sand and use the hunter's leg as a pillow. "That hit the spot," she moaned, her stomach echoing the sentiment with a gurgle of fulfillment.

Kh'aan flicked her ear lightly before swallowing more c'ntlip. "Hit spot," he laughed, pretending that he didn't know what she meant. The marine turned her head to frown up at him.

"I meant, you goon, that the food was very tasty and was just what I needed. Ergo – it hit the spot." In response he poked her in the stomach. "Oh god, don't do that!" She rolled back to gaze up at the sky. After a short pause she muttered "Your knees are bony."

The hunter chittered and playfully twined his talons through her hair for a moment before leaning back against the boulder that he'd chosen for a back rest. "You all…bone-ee."

"Brat."

"Pup."

"Jerk."

Kh'aan paused and wracked his brain for a suitable human retort. Kayla chuckled thinking that she'd won until he flicked her on the ear again. "Wuusss." He was not ready when a jet of c'ntlip shot out of the marine's mouth and hit him in the chest.

Seated around the fire, the others watched their wayward charges' antics and could not help but laugh at the irony – the most formidable warrior in all of the clans having a c'ntlip -spitting contest with a female ooman. Mr'aal suddenly felt a moment's apprehension and turned to Shl'nar. **"Do you suppose it is safe to leave them here? What if things take a turn for the worse and they become a danger each other?"**

Ti'nuk laughed from beside the aide. **"Do you really think that would be a problem?"**

Shl'nar nodded in agreement. **"I agree. There is no hostile intention between them; they have overcome their differences. They make a good team – I have no doubt that they will survive here until we can send a vessel to them."**

At that moment the engineers eased to their feet. Sin'kaj stretched and let out a loud yawn while Fh'zaan returned their cups to Mr'aal. **"It is time to rest, I am exhausted."** Ti'nuk rose and nodded his agreement.

Shl'nar and Mr'aal stood with them, and after a quick clean up of the area they shuffled over to the fugitives. Kayla had rolled to her stomach – with her arms under her chin over Kh'aan's knee – and was staring into the fire, while Kh'aan had turned the boulder so that he could lean back a little more and stare out across the ocean. He jumped slightly when Shl'nar leaned over to block his view.

"**It is time for us to rest. The meal served that purpose well." **He glanced at the human and switched languages. "Good food, we will sleep now."

The human nodded absently before resuming her study of the flames, and Kh'aan grunted something that sounded like 'sleep well' before taking another sip from his cup and returning his gaze to the sea. The others laughed and headed for the ship, but Mr'aal paused and tapped Kayla on the shoulder, waiting until she turned around.

"**You both should get some rest as well." **He pointed to her and to Kh'aan before using the gesture he had not recognized before – he pressed his hands together beside his head and tilted it to the side. Kayla smiled languidly and nodded before mimicking his movements.

"We'll be in soon."

########

Human and hunter lounged idly for a while listening to the sounds of their new haven. The ocean was nearly enough to lull them to sleep if not for the intermittent crackle of the fire. Kayla drew random designs in the sand while draped over the hunter's legs. Under any other circumstance she might have thought long and hard about such a strange seating arrangement, but her feelings concerning their relationship had yet to surface in her mind. At the moment she was simply reminded of lazy card games with her team on Jurnada, lounging in their underwear in the mess while they waited for their laundry. Any thought to modesty or propriety went out the window in favor of simple comfort. Even Kh'aan's talons in her hair did not faze her; more-so the sensation increased her feelings of ease, and her eyes had just decided that it was time to close when she felt a feather light flick on her ear.

"What?" She muttered without looking up.

Kh'aan had been hypnotized by the rolling ocean and crash of waves on the shore, and the slow cadence of Kayla breathing against his leg. His mind shuffled through various similar moments of peace and quiet: the lull in action after his Chiva while he waited for the ship to return; three weeks of recovery after his survival training when he had been held captive by the Grand Matron while he healed – she had not wanted him sent out again until she was sure that he had fully recuperated. He'd been bored nearly to madness, but it had been the first time that he'd attempted to learn the ancient meditation techniques that most hunters found pointless. Grand Matron Sh'aan had nodded knowingly when he'd left, his self-control enhanced ten-fold after his 'imprisonment'.

His musings were interrupted when he felt Kayla slump against his leg, and he tortured her ear until she batted his hand away. _Alright ooman. Time to rest._ When she finally turned her head to face him he chuckled at her half-open eyes. "Sleep time."

Kayla nodded and yawned. "Yeah, I guess so." She heaved to her feet and stretched with a loud groan. "Let's put out this fire first, ok?"

Kh'aan nodded and grasped the arm she held out to him. He did not need her help but allowed the marine to yank him to his feet anyway. After several failed attempts to bring water from the sea, they settled on kicking sand over the flames until the fire went out. Kh'aan yawned loudly and then turned to his companion, who was gazing out across the sea with a perplexed expression on her face. His curious chirp drew her attention and she shrugged.

"It's just strange. I feel like it should be nighttime but it's not. I have a feeling that adjusting to this light will be the most difficult thing to get used to."

She shrugged again before yelping as Kh'aan gripped her in another head lock. Too tired to struggle, she hung onto his belt and allowed the hunter to drag her into the ship. They could barely keep their eyes open by the time they reached the living quarters, and Kayla shuffled blindly into the first chamber and waved as the door closed. Kh'aan stopped in front of the next room and was about to enter when he caught sight of the last door in the corridor. A sinister smirk twisted his mandibles as he approached, and he pressed the pad of his thumb to the access panel. Recognizing his blood, the door hissed open to reveal the elaborate chambers of the High Elder. He stood in the doorway and for a moment felt like a pup invading the forbidden domain of his sire.

Elder Kh'alik liked to make sure that everyone knew of his stature, and his chambers were no exception. Elegant fabrics hung from the walls in rich hues, and the trophy wall (one of many that the Elder kept) was extensively lit as though he feared that someone would miss it. Set in the center of the floor, an enormous nest of luxurious furs and cushions served as Kh'alik's bed, and Kh'aan again felt like he was about to do something very naughty. Before he could stop himself the hunter stepped over and threw his filthy body on the nest, dust and sand from the island puffing into the air from his impact. Though he knew that finding his scent in this room might jeopardize the crew, Kh'aan imagined the look on his sire's face and fell asleep chuckling.

########

The marine's eye cracked open and searched the chamber wall for the luminescent time dial that Kh'aan had once shown her. She remembered taking note of the number of lit hash marks before she passed out, and now counted six more lines around the spiral. _Six hours? What is that…twelve or three? _She shut her eye again and willed her body back to sleep, but instead it reminded her of the enormous meal she'd eaten before bed. An internal argument with her bodily functions was lost almost the moment she gave them her attention, and she had no choice but to worm out of the warm furs and make for the bathing chamber with all haste. _Of course I get the room with no private bath. Right, left, one…two…third door! Eureka!_ The door hissed open when she reached it and she practically dove at the panel that housed the commode. She made it through three renditions of her squad's fight song before her eyes settled on the enormous bath in the center of the floor. She guessed that it could easily hold three hunters, and then squashed the image before it had chance to solidify in her mind. Instead, finished with her body's needs she knelt by what she assumed was a control panel and studied the device.

The panel was a simple touch screen, indicating a small two-bar graph and a diagram of an empty bowl. The marine pondered when she would next get an opportunity to take a hot bath, and it did not take much convincing to make her reach out and tentatively touch the image of the bowl. A hum sounded almost immediately beneath the bath and three slits opened along the rim, cascades of water falling rapidly to fill the tub. She whooped at her success and reached a hand under the nearest cascade, yanking it back with a curse when the scalding water nearly burned off her skin. _Holy mother of damn, that's HOT!_ Cradling her fingers she returned her attention to the panel and the other indicator. The two vertical bars had no indication of what they were for, and though the left was taller than the right, she had no idea what it meant. _Come on, marine…head of your class and you can't figure this out? _Gnawing at her lip, she reached out a finger to the taller bar. It blinked and then remained steady when she touched it, and she slowly dragged her finger down the screen. As the left bar grew shorter, the right moved in the opposite direction. When she had them at equal height she stopped and took a deep breath before reaching her hand under the cascade again.

"Woohoo! I'm a genius! Take that, Grady!" The water had reduced to lukewarm and when she tested the filling tub noticed that the temperature was evening out nicely. She watched as the bath filled quickly and then shut off when it reached a raised ridge beneath the rim. Eager to be clean the marine started to shimmy out of her pants but stopped. _My clothes are filthy…cleaning __me__ will only make me dirty when I put them back on. _After another thought and a shrug she stepped into the bath fully dressed. The water turned a sickly brown in minutes as she rubbed the material, but to her surprise the jets along the rim turned back on and a mild suction began near her feet. It became apparent quickly that the bath cleaned itself even when in use, and after a few more minutes of scrubbing her clothes and the water were clean. She stripped and draped them around the bath before finally sinking into the water with a contented sigh.

"This is living! I'll have to insist that they install one of these in the cave."

########

A loud growling yawn echoed through the High Elder's chamber as the former Firstborn roused himself from sleep. A full sleep cycle had been just what he needed after the last few days, and he literally hopped from the furs completely energized. Unfortunately, when he was upright his body fell victim to gravity and reminded him of the copious amount of beast he'd eaten. Kh'aan quickly headed for the bathing chamber cursing the lack of a personal room in his sire's quarters. _If he was not so obsessed with showing off his conquests, that stupid sitting area by the trophy wall could easily hold a private chamber. _The door hissed open and he entered intent on the commode, only for his senses to register the amount of humidity in the air. Simultaneously he heard a shout and splash from the direction of the bath.

"Don't you dare turn around!"

The hunter squeezed his eyes shut tightly and tried not to laugh. "Lock door."

"As if I knew how!" Kayla snarled and peered around the room for anything to cover herself. "Where are the towels?" She looked up and saw Kh'aan's head cock to the side. _Dammit…should have looked!_ "Towel, as in piece of material to dry yourself with!"

The hunter took two steps to the side while keeping his back to the bath, and opened a panel that contained several thermal skins. He tossed one over his shoulder and willed her to hurry. After a few moments of splashing he heard Kayla growl.

"Make it snappy, I wasn't finished with my bath!"

He glanced over his shoulder to see the marine shuffle out of the chamber holding the enormous skin around her body, and then could not get to the commode fast enough.

Kayla stood outside the bathing room growling at the interruption. _Lock door! I'll lock you, you big ox!_ She jumped when a loud whooshing sound came from the room, and a moment later Kh'aan opened the door and threw out her clothes before shutting it again. Wide-eyed she pounded on the door.

"Kh'aan! I wasn't done you asshole!"

His muffled laugh came through. "Done now."

Kh'aan heard Kayla yell obscenities at him before stomping down the corridor. He knew that she'd pay him back for kicking her out of the bath, but he could no longer stand the grit in his pores. After refilling the tub he soaked away the grime from their explorations and eased his muscles in the hot water. When he emerged later and went to check on the wayward human she was nowhere to be found, and he growled at the thought of her lying in wait to pounce on him.

"Kayla!"

Instead of the marine, Shl'nar came around the corridor. **"Is something wrong?"** The aide was puzzled by the hunter's nervous laugh.

"**Yes and no…she is going to kill me."**

Shl'nar's eyes grew wide. **"What has happened? Has she threatened you? Why would she make an attempt on your life?"**

Kh'aan rested a hand on his shoulder. **"No, nothing like that. By 'kill me' I mean that she is probably furious and plotting revenge right now." **When the aide's quizzical stare did not subside he elaborated. **"I kicked her out of the bath before she was finished."**

Shl'nar shook his head with a grunt of amusement. **"Then remind me to stay away from you today. I would hate to be caught by her trap."**

They made their way to the meal chamber and Shl'nar explained the remaining tasks before them. **"We must depart soon, and so I have asked the crew to gather any items that might be useful to you during your stay here. We have also cured your rations so that they will keep for some time."**

An itch in Kh'aan's memory reminded him about Kayla's problem with his rations. **"How did you cure them?"**

The aide looked puzzled but answered. **"Without adequate time to preserve the meat properly, I was forced to dry it. It should keep just as well, but will be a little tougher. Is that sufficient?"**

Kh'aan nodded. **"Yes, that will do. Kayla had an adverse reaction to the curing broth. Had you preserved them in the traditional sense, she would not be able to eat any of it."**

With that out of the way, the two hunters began transporting the finished ration packs out of the ship. They passed the technicians and healer several times making their own runs to the beach with supplies, and Kh'aan absently wondered if they truly needed so much. After they finished in the meal chamber he remained on the beach to begin taking stock of their supplies. There were four large containers with sealed lids from Mr'aal, who insisted on providing fresh drinking water until they found a suitable source. A mountain of furs and skins had been gathered for various uses. Two extra masks and a spare gauntlet were brought out by Ti'nuk, and the engineers hauled out a large storage container that Kh'aan found was full of technical implements. He gazed at the tools and finally asked why they would need so much.

"**Most of the devices are manual, so they will function long after the powered items fail. We may be leaving you on a primitive planet, but that does not mean that we must leave you to create primitive tools." **Fh'zaan pointed out several items that would be useful for manipulating wood and stone, a gauge for testing water, and a portable satellite that would enable them to monitor atmospheric conditions on the planet, or detect any ships that breach the nebula void. **"Place this on high ground in a stable position. Sin'kaj managed to modify the power source to utilize light energy to some degree. This ambient twilight will not provide much, but if the nebula passes a star it will fully charge the power cells."**

Kh'aan nodded and was about to voice another question when he remembered his own belongings. He ran back into the ship and entered the first sleeping chamber only to see that the table was bare. Confused, he wandered back out to the engineers. **"Did someone bring out my personal affects?"**

They glanced up and at each other before admitting that they did not. Kh'aan searched through the growing pile of supplies but found nothing. He turned to question Shl'nar when he caught sight of Kayla further down the beach – leaning against a boulder and twirling something in her hands. The hunter marched across the sand and stood in her line of sight until she nonchalantly looked up.

"Yes?"

Kh'aan's eyes were glued to the ceremonial blade in her hands that she was using to strip a useless stick. He snarled and snatched it from her. "Where?"

Kayla leaned back and stretched her arms over her head. She knew exactly what he meant but chose to play dumb. "Where what? You've got to work on your language skills, buddy."

The hunter gently but firmly grasped the human around the throat and lifted her to eye level. "Where. Is. My. Stuff?" He waved the blade in her face before slipping it into the sheath on his thigh. To his chagrin the human sneered.

"Somewhere on this island. Right now you're not quite warm." Kh'aan dropped her with a snarl but Kayla only laughed, the sound not at all friendly. "Guess you'd better start looking, huh? Aside from that blade, I counted 14 items on the table."

Heads turned to stare down the beach when Kh'aan roared. "YOU HIDE! Dare dishonor?"

She leapt to her feet and stepped into his personal space. "Do you really want to talk about dishonor, or should I have made you wait until I was **done** with my bath before letting you take a shit?" She spun on her heel and marched toward the pass. "Happy hunting, asshole!"

Kh'aan squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his hands into fists, his talons gouging the skin. _Pauking ooman psychotic pup female! _Before he could stop himself another roar ripped from his throat, and he caught the lilt of Kayla's laugh as she skipped into the valley. _**Did it to yourself, didn't you? **__Pauk!_

Kh'aan scoured the beach searching for his hidden weapons. He'd managed to find his wrist blades and two spears buried in the sand, but after that found nothing and was growing increasingly agitated. Every now and then the human's voice would echo out of the valley taunting him.

"You're ice cold!"

Finally after hours of fruitless searching he confronted her, perched on a ledge in the pass and apparently watching his hunt intently.

"Where rest?"

Kayla shrugged her shoulders and continued to weave the blades of grass in her hands. "Don't know. It's been a while. They're around here somewhere." She glanced up through her lashes and grinned before returning her attention to her task.

Kh'aan snarled and stormed back to the ship, flopping down on the ramp in a huff and staring daggers at the human. Shl'nar stepped over to him, though the aide was unsure if addressing the hunter was wise at the moment.

"**Is everything alright, Kh'aan?"**

The hunter growled but did not avert his gaze from the marine. **"She buried my weapons. ALL of them."**

The aide could not contain his surprise and moments later burst out laughing. Kh'aan hissed at him but Shl'nar could not help himself. **"Do not tell me that this is her revenge!" **The hunter did not grace him with a response which proved to the aide that he was right. **"Use your computer to find them."**

Kh'aan huffed and threw a stone across the sand. **"She buried that too."**

The aide laughed for a few more moments before he activated his own scanner. **"Normally I would let you suffer your punishment, but we have no time right now. Come."**

Kh'aan snorted again before rising to his feet. He followed along behind Shl'nar while the aide scanned the beach, exhuming his possessions as they found them. From the ledge the human called 'foul'.

"No help! That's cheating!"

Twice Shl'nar had to restrain him, and by the time they'd found everything Kh'aan was several shades darker in his fury. Outwardly it seemed that he was angry at the human which put the crew on edge. To the contrary he was furious with himself for creating this mess. He made a mental promise to avoid her when she bathed, even if their lives depended on it.

By the time the crew had finished gathering supplies for the fugitives, Kh'aan had found everything but his most precious blade, a small curved dagger passed down through his lineage from High Elder to Firstborn and used in the Ascendance ritual. Though he put no stock in his status the tiny ceramic blade was an heirloom, and the hunter was livid that Kayla had managed to thoroughly hide it from him. He placed all of his belongings in a mesh sack and strung it over his shoulder, intending to keep them with him at all times. The sound of the crew gathering on the ramp made him turn only to nearly collide with Kayla. Her expression was like stone and for a moment they stared each other down with equal vehemence. A growl began in his throat and he was ready for another argument when she held out her hand.

In it was the blade.

He reached for it but she closed her hand and he instead grasped her fist. Kayla met and held his gaze. "If we cannot respect each other's privacy we will never survive here. Agreed?"

The hunter bit back a snarl, her words clicking in his mind. He hated to concede to her but… "Agree."

She opened her fist and carefully placed the tiny dagger in his much larger palm before closing his fingers around it. "The risk of damaging this was too great to hide it. I just needed to prove a point."

His property returned, she nodded and walked over to the healer who immediately began gesturing a conversation. Kh'aan felt his rage diffuse as he gazed at the blade, the knowledge that she had taken great care even in her revenge reinforcing his belief that humans were the most complicated species he'd ever encountered.

########

Dragging all of the supplies to the cave was more of a trial than collecting them, though luckily Kayla's makeshift sled came in very handy. They piled as much as they could onto the contraption and dragged it into the jungle. The two fugitives cleared a path for the sled while Shl'nar and the technicians heaved it along behind them. Mr'aal brought up the rear gathering any items that fell, though to save him from too much exertion Sin'kaj made it a point to grab the loose items as soon as they dropped. Once they reached the pond they were forced to move the gear by hand, as the cart was too heavy and wide to traverse the wet soil along the bank. After a dozen trips up and down the slope into the cave, and more time waiting as the engineers took measurements of their hovel and gathered useful readings, the time finally arrived for their rescuers to depart.

The crew showed an uncharacteristic level of emotion in their goodbyes, each contemplating whether it would be the last. Mr'aal grasped Kayla's hands tightly before the human wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a fierce hug. The old healer was unaccustomed to such a display, but it warmed his heart and he reciprocated the gesture, resting his chin on her head. **"Take care, young one. Watch over our Firstborn and keep him safe."** He released her to gesture to Kh'aan, and then grasped her hands again firmly. Kayla understood his meaning and nodded.

"I'll guard him with my life."

Kh'aan was moved by the reverence that the crew showed him, each stepping forward to address him as though he were already High Elder – one fist clenched to their chest and bowing low until he touched their shoulder in acknowledgement. Though the thought of such a display on his account made his nerves bristle, he did his best not to show it and accepted their grace with as much of his own as he could muster.

"**I am honored to have been able to assist you, Firstborn."** The young apprentice murmured in a low voice. **"If my life holds no more adventure, I will always treasure sharing in yours."**

Fh'zaan stepped forward and grasped Kh'aan's forearms, a greeting usually saved for Blooded warriors embarking on a trial and wishing each other a good hunt. **"I will do all that I can to help Shl'nar return a vessel to you, honored warrior. We will not let you down."**

When Shl'nar moved to speak Kh'aan grasped his shoulders. **"I am blessed by Paya to have found such an ally in you, Shl'nar. You are a valued friend to me and I will not forget your assistance. Please take care when you return. I fear what Kh'val will do if he finds you."**

"**If we are able to reach the High Elder beforehand, Kh'val will be no threat. Pray that we are able to elude him until then."** The aide stepped back with the others, the somber feeling of their departure weighing heavily.

Kayla stepped over to the apprentice and handed him something too small for the others to see. Sin'kaj's eyes grew wide before he bowed low, his gratitude obvious. Then, knowing that time was of the essence the crew turned and entered the ship. Kh'aan and Kayla walked back to the pass so that they would not get blasted by the engines, and a few minutes later they were buffeted by the force as the ship lifted from the sand. As the vessel turned and rose into the sky Kh'aan place a hand on her shoulder.

"What you give Sin'kaj?"

The marine smiled, her eyes never leaving the ship. "A souvenir…I managed to extract several intact teeth from our beast. I strung them together last night. It's not much but…"

The hunter smiled. "He will keep for ever."

They watched until the ship was only a dot in the sky against the haze of nebula, and then turned back to their new, and hopefully temporary home.

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R&R…hope you're enjoying! Happy Holidays!

-Cap'n Razz


	26. Chapter 26

***AN: Greetings to the waiting ones! ("everything marked, everything 'membered"). Most humble apologies for the extensive delay. Captain Razz refuses to publish dren! The followers of Razz deserve only the best that the Captain has to offer, and thusly Cap'n has taken forever to provide. But here we are, childrenz…hot off the presses and ready to thrill! Chill! Spill? Ack! All over my moose! Er…mouse.

Big fat ANYWAY! I hope you enjoy this latest installment of _**Un Beau Gâchis**_! That's French according to Google. Blame them if I'm wrong.

Much love and hugs and secret hidden flasks of Peppermint Schnapps and Hot Chocolate for you all! Hope you enjoy!

Oh…and I'd be remiss if I did not shout out to EVERYONE who has been kind enough to review! You keep me going if not sane! Too late for sanity!

-Cap'n 'Everlast coming back from the dead' Razz

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 26 – Relative Inertial Collision_

Breach! Sensation where there was none. Pain. Ether flows through damage. What is damage? What is pain? Impulse awakens - repair and defend. The cell seals. Pressure equalizes, sensations diminish.

New energy; new power within the core. Intensity fluctuates, radiates, sends coils of energy through the ether. Energy fills, energy fuels; the ether undulates and expands. Expend force to balance equilibrium. Flight! Speed! Eons of instinctual plodding erased in a single moment of unbridled might.

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"Approaching designated coordinates. Deactivate…"

Kh'val shut off the alarm before easing into the command chair. His senses reeled as he tried to come down from the madness of his dream. For long moments he glared a hole through the console while the phantom tang of human blood teased his mouth. He tried desperately to quell the excitement flowing through his veins, and the purr rumbling from his chest caught in his throat. _I am not a Bad Blood. Why would I dream of taking the ooman? I am not even certain that it is female. __**You know the scent of female and it was all over his ship…all over him. **__But Kh'aan would never mate with an ooman. __**Then why bother suggesting it?**_

_The scent was too sweet to be ooman…too…enticing. Arnak blossoms and blood…_

The Arbitrator snarled. He had more important things to think about, and forced his mind to remain on task. He turned his attention to the viewport, deactivating automatic navigation while bringing up the sensor logs. Instead of the glowing orange nebula, Kh'val's eyes rested on empty space.

"What the…"

He checked the coordinates; sure enough he had returned to the location of the _Mhneschk_ but the creature was nowhere in sight. _Pauk! It did not just disappear!_ He punched in several sequences and brought up the extrapolated trajectory of the beast. According to the readout it should still have been within sensor range at its noted speed, but when he scanned to the reaches of his sensors he found no trace. Growling, the Arbitrator pounded a fist on the console before increasing speed. His only hope was to follow the creature's course and pray that it slowed down or stopped altogether. The question still remained, however, and he snarled at the empty space outside the viewport.

"How could it travel so fast?"

Kh'val continued to mutter to himself as he stood and hurried to collect the data disc on the blue creature from his chambers. An itch in his mind told him that something was amiss, and he might only find answers by comparing the two anomalies side by side. Rather than return to the control room, he wandered into the meal chamber and sank onto one of the stools with a grunt. He used the access panel on the small table to bring up current sensor readings on the orange anomaly, and used his wrist computer to access the data disc. He was never very good in scientific fields, and so it took some time to bring his warrior mentality to bear on such analytical thinking.

_Two different creatures. Are they truly so different? The orange Mhneschk is larger, but travels on a set course. The blue creature seemed to drift freely through space, and was able to alter its course to pursue me once I had escaped. Do they share the same aggression? _He sat back on the stool and stared at the information. _This new beast attempted to engulf me the moment that I was within range, while the blue one waited until I had ensnared myself. Animals behave based on instinct. What instinct would make this creature race across the stars? What instinct could a living nebula have?_

The Arbitrator dropped his head onto the table and growled. "Kh'aan, I hope you give that thing indigestion!"

########

Shl'nar watched as the small planet shrank to a tiny white disc against the haze of the nebula. An ache grew within his chest coupled with a sense of foreboding, and the realization that they were truly leaving settled heavily on his mind. He did not like leaving the Firstborn and his companion alone on an uncharted planet in the middle of a traveling nebula, but there was no other option. He silently begged Paya to watch over the fugitives, though he wondered if his plea would be heard.

Once they reached the boundary of the void Shl'nar called everyone to the Command Center. Without asking, Ti'nuk turned the ship to face the planet, and all eyes rested on the bright sphere for a long moment before they gave the aide their attention.

Shl'nar forced some authority back into his voice. "Are the modifications ready, Fh'zaan?"

"Yes, I believe that the exhaust system will hold together long enough for us to get out."

The engineer did not meet Shl'nar's eyes, instead hazarding short glances out of the forward viewport. The aide glanced at the others and noted the same reluctant gazes. A short bark drew their attention back to him. "I know that we are all having reservations about leaving our friends, but there is no other way to help them." A low murmur of agreement passed through the crew and the aide continued. "Once we breach the anomaly we must return to the clan ship with all haste. The Arbitrator will no doubt be searching for us, and the sooner we lead him away from here, the safer Kh'aan and Kayla will be."

Mr'aal tore his gaze from the viewport and addressed the aide. "Now that I no longer need to tend to our passengers, is there any way that I can lend assistance?"

Before he could answer Ti'nuk spoke. "Shl'nar will be assisting me with navigation, but I could use your help with the sensors, if he agrees." A quick nod from the aide showed his consent and Mr'aal eased into the seat on the side console. It still smelled faintly of the human and the scent caused a brief ache in his heart before the old healer grunted and activated the sensor array. "I believe that my sensor-analysis skills have improved on this voyage. I will do my best."

Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj took a few moments to confirm that the controls in Command were equalized with those in engineering before turning to leave the room. "Give us a few minutes to prepare," the master engineer stated as the apprentice squeezed past him. "I will let you know when we are ready."

The Command crew prepared their stations and finalized their strategy while awaiting word from the engineers. Shl'nar stole glances at Mr'aal and noted by the set of his shoulders that the old healer was still uncomfortable with leaving the Firstborn and his companion. He attempted to ease his spirits, though he felt that the words were hollow.

"Do not worry, Mr'aal. They will be perfectly fine."

"I know. But that does not mean that I accept it." The healer turned in his seat. "I cannot help but feel that we are abandoning them, and it is difficult to convince myself that we are doing the only thing that we can." He huffed and turned back to the console. "I suppose that I will not feel at ease until we return a vessel to them and they are no longer trapped." A grunt from the pilot echoed his sentiment.

Shl'nar chittered lightly. "I feel the same way, old friend."

Before they could speak further, Fh'zaan's voice came through the comm. _"We are ready."_

Aide, healer and pilot quickly readied themselves for the task ahead and Shl'nar gave the engineers the signal to proceed. The engines rumbled back to life, and a new metallic humming sound made their bones ache as the improvised exhaust system prepared to 'scrub' through the nebula filaments. Shl'nar took a deep breath and motioned Ti'nuk forward.

The pilot clamped his mandibles shut and a furrow formed between his eyes. Gripping the manual controls, he eased the vessel toward the orange haze. Just as they reached what they deemed was the barrier the ship's momentum ground to a halt. The engines began to whine against the strain, and after another minute Ti'nuk eased back on the controls.

"Who would have thought that it would be harder to exit than to enter?" He mused, his talons tapping against the console.

"_Have we hit something? The engines cannot take much more of this." _Fh'zaan's voice had returned to its usual stern tone. The aide activated the comm.

"The barrier that we fell through before seems intent on keeping us here. We will need all of the power you can give us." A growl came through the line before they heard the auxiliary engines activate, their hum adding to the rumbling din of the vessel's systems.

"_Do it now! I cannot hold this for very long"_

Ti'nuk did not need to be told twice. Leaning into the controls as though he would push the ship himself, the pilot stared intently at the orange haze before them. _Let us out, you beast!_

The ship shuddered from the force and an indicator light began to blink rapidly next to Mr'aal. The healer's mandibles tapped together nervously as he watched the console, specifically the Hull Integrity statistics, which were quickly flashing to higher and higher thresholds as the strain became too much for the ship to bear. "We will break apart if we continue!"

Ti'nuk grunted and swore. _After all that we have been through together, you great flying rock! You have never let me down before…do not start now!_

The whining, shearing cacophony rose to a piercing crescendo that made the crew wince. The bulkheads were vibrating violently and Shl'nar heard a panel in the corridor explode. Concern began to slither up his spine. _If __we__ cannot escape we will never be able to help __them__. _Just as he was about to tell them to throttle back the forward resistance ceased. The sudden momentum threw the ship forward and the crew from their seats, and an eerie silence permeated the vessel. The engineers were the first to compose themselves, and Sin'kaj's shaking voice came through the comm.

"_We are through! Is everyone alright?"_

"Yes, we are all intact." Shl'nar helped the old healer into his seat just as a new churning sound reached them. "How are the exhaust modifications holding up?" Silence followed while he heard the engineers muttering, and then Fh'zaan's voice answered.

"_At this time all appears normal. I will not know more until the system has had time to function."_

Several tense hours followed in which the crew monitored the ships systems with baited breath, hoping to escape unscathed and yet expecting something to go wrong at any moment. They proceeded slowly through the orange haze even though the engines were at full power; resistance from the ether continually hampered their progress. A mechanical symphony echoed throughout the ship – the deep rumble of the engines, an intermittent shearing sound from the internal force versus external pressure on the hull, and the grinding hum of the modified exhaust system as it attempted to keep the engines from overheating. After a while the sound reduced to background noise for the crew, but at one point Mr'aal noticed that, upon entering and exiting the sealed medical bay, his hearing magnified the sound ten-fold before it faded again. He returned to Command with concern clear on his features.

"Are you certain that we will be able to escape this anomaly before the engines burn out? The level of noise throughout the ship makes me wonder if we are causing permanent damage. What if the High Elder notices?"

Shl'nar turned around to face the healer. "You ask the questions that we all have, Mr'aal, but I have no answers. If we do not attempt to escape this phenomenon, not only will we die here, but Kh'aan and Kayla will be forever trapped."

Mr'aal hung his head and resumed his seat. "I know that you are right, honored warrior. I simply had to ask to appease my own concerns."

The aide was at a loss and had no idea how to comfort the old healer. Ti'nuk, on the other hand, had the knowledge necessary to offer some consolation. "According to my readings, Mr'aal, we are at 75% threshold. This will hold as long as the shearing forces do not increase, and as long as our engines do not overheat. Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj have kept me updated on our status, and they tell me that the exhaust system is performing at peak efficiency considering their improvised modifications. The three of us are confident that the ship will hold together well enough until we are out, and we should have minimal repairs to make before returning to the High Elder."

The old healer nodded and returned his attention to his station. Shl'nar rested a grateful hand on the pilot's shoulder before they too resumed their duties. None wanted to think about the truth in Shl'nar's words. If they did not escape, their entire mission would be for nothing and Kh'aan and Kayla would be lost.

########

Breach! Sensation returns. Pain! Ether flows to compensate. Power redirected, speed reduced. Energy flows to repair.

########

After several hours attempting to glean some useful information from his sensors, Kh'val gave up studying the creatures. Growing frustrated with the lack of progress, he wandered into the Kehrite to release some of his pent-up aggression. As he glided through the motions of combat, the Arbitrator was surprised and disturbed to find his mind returning to the human. Though he had never seen it first-hand, the image conjured in his dream took its form before him, armed and taunting him to fight. Kh'val growled and brought his wristblades down in a wide arc, intent on slicing the puny creature in half. It danced out of his reach and laughed mockingly at him. Incensed, he roared and attacked the apparition with abandon, spear in one hand and wristblades on the other, but could not seem to make contact with the annoying pest. Fully immersed in his imagination, Kh'val leapt over the human's head and tackled it from behind, his bulk crushing it to the floor. He grasped the soft meat by its hair and yanked back exposing the delicate throat. His captive began to laugh again, a spine-tingling cackle that pushed his rage past the breaking point. He flipped the human over and thrust his blades into its chest, satisfied to hear a wail of pain quickly reduce to the gurgling cough of a dying beast. He roared his triumph and looked down upon his conquest again only to see his wristblades imbedded in the floor of the Kehrite.

Kh'val leapt to his feet and stared at the empty space. _Am I losing my mind? Pauking ooman! This is Kh'aan's fault! _ He turned abruptly and stormed from the room without bothering to put his weapons away. _If he had not seen fit to take on a pet, I would not be in this situation. _

He reached the control room at the same time that the long-range sensors beeped an alert – the _Mhneschk_ was slowing down and had just grazed the edge of his sensor grid. The thrill of the chase eased back into his veins and he raced to engineering to reroute power and gain more speed. Once he felt the boost through the bulkheads he turned his attention to recalibrating the hull polarization. He had learned how to protect his vessel from his first entanglement with a _Mhneschk_, and this time was determined to remain off of the menu.

########

The crew of rescuers grew weary of the endless nebula gliding past their viewports. Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj had closed the radiation shields in engineering so that they would not have to see the undulating orange haze, but those in Command were not so lucky.

"If I ever see this color again, I will gouge out my own eyes." Ti'nuk growled while wrestling with the controls.

"Do not speak too soon, Ti'nuk," Mr'aal chuckled. "Or will you choose to avoid Ikar Prime for the rest of your life?"

The pilot winced at the mention of the sacred planet reserved for mating season. "Pauk!"

They shared a laugh and returned their attention their consoles. Shl'nar had been in engineering for the better part of an hour but now re-entered Command. "Our status?"

"We still travel at a Grosk's pace, honored warrior." The pilot chuckled. "And now I am hungry."

Shl'nar laughed with him and was about to go find them a snack when a sudden heavy silence fell over the ship. The three Yautja held their breath for a tense moment before the aide reached forward to the comm.

"Fh'zaan, what is happening?"

Down in engineering the technicians had kept constant vigil over the engines, their anxious gazes locked to the power readouts. When the board had suddenly stopped flashing and silence descended on them they hurried to find a reason, and Shl'nar's call startled both of them.

"I am unsure. Standby." Master turned to apprentice. "Sin'kaj, bring up the forward sensor diagnostic and hull integrity tables." After a moment the readouts crossed his screen. Fh'zaan studied the indicators intently for several minutes before he snorted in disbelief.

"Nothing!"

Sin'kaj stepped forward. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember how the forward grid was nearly overloaded from the amount of this ether passing across the sensors? We were worried that the entire array would blow out."

The apprentice nodded before peering at the readings. "They are functioning normally now, and there is no pressure on the hull! I do not understand."

"Nor do I…Fh'zaan to Ti'nuk."

The pilot's strained voice came through. _"I am here."_

"Tell me the reading from your forward grids." Silence followed before they heard the pilot grunt.

"_All clear…but that is impossible in this soup! It is as though we are travelling through empty space."_

Fh'zaan tapped his lower mandibles in thought. "Try to increase our speed."

"_Standby…"_

After a few moments the engineers chittered nervously; there was no indication of further strain on the engines. "Ti'nuk, are we moving or not?"

"_We are nearly at full speed, Fh'zaan, and meeting no resistance."_ Shl'nar's voice cut in. _"Maintain full speed. The faster we escape from this anomaly, the better off we will be."_

The technicians shared a confused glance before they returned their attention to the engines. As strange as this new development was, they were not about to waste it. Activating all power sources, they pushed the ship to its limit, the whine of the engines returning as power coursed through them at alarming rates. Mr'aal kept his eyes fixed on the external view screen, and was the first to see the faint flicker of stars.

"There! Continue forward. I believe we are nearly free!"

########

Sensation. Passage of mass through ether. Sustenance no longer. Ether flows to expel.

########

The Arbitrator stared intently out of the forward viewport, his eyes locked to the slowly growing orange blob ahead of him in space. The _Mhneschk_ continued to lose speed and had finally dropped below his maximum velocity, and Kh'val eagerly awaited a rematch with his lost brother. The endless passage of stars had threatened to dull his mind and resurrect thoughts of the human, but he kept his talons embedded in his palms to stave off such torture.

After another hour of pursuit, the beast loomed large in his viewport. It appeared no different than before, and Kh'val chuckled at himself for thinking that it would look windblown after travelling so fast. _When this ridiculous assignment is over I am taking a long break._ He rose from the command chair and stretched before heading to the armory, gathering several compact items that might be useful in close quarters, and made sure to upload the readings on both creatures into his gauntlet. For a brief moment he pictured the blades imbedded in the human's chest, but snarled and violently shook his head until the image faded. _Now is not the time. Find them first._

He returned to the control room and unlocked his course, using manual controls to draw closer to the creature; he did not trust the ships computer to keep him out of 'swallow' range. Very carefully the Arbitrator circled the _Mhneschk_, searching for a suitable point of entry or any indication of weakness. On his third pass he noticed an undulation of colors along what in his view was the underside of the beast. His mandibles clenched shut in concentration as he eased toward the flickering spot.

He reached forward to engage the hull modifications, but a moment before he tapped the switch the surface of the _Mhneschk_ suddenly bulged. Kh'val reversed engines on instinct, and not a moment too soon. Directly before him the orange ether suddenly parted and spat out the High Elder's vessel, closing behind the larger ship the moment it was free.

########

Ti'nuk barked in alarm when they emerged from the nebula nearly on top of another vessel. He pulled back hard on the controls to halt their momentum, and noticed that the other ship reversed engines as well. He heard the voices of his crewmates but their words were drowned out over the pounding of blood through his veins. _The Arbitrator!_

Shl'nar's mind echoed the pilot's panic and he scrambled to come up with a suitable story for their adversary. The comm. system beeped to indicate an incoming transmission, but the aide was not ready to address Kh'val and tried to stall for time.

"Ti'nuk, can you scramble our signal or something?"

The pilot growled. "That only works over long distances. He is right there! There would be no reason for our signal to…"

At that moment the comm. beeped again – a double tone that abruptly drew the aide's eyes to the console. "High Elder Kh'alik! Can this get any more complicated?"

########

Kh'val stared at the vessel, his disdain growing feverish at the thought of the traitorous aide. He opened a channel and was not at all surprised when they ignored him. _Prove me right, Shl'nar. I know that you have him._ He eased his vessel forward until he could almost see the crew through their viewport. A part of him hoped that they would act rashly and give him a reason to seize them and their ship, but a voice in the back of his mind urged him to wait for their next move. Then suddenly that voice was replaced with another.

_Arnak blossoms and blood…_

Kh'val jerked back in his seat and snarled, the unwanted stray thought damaging his sense of calm. He forcefully jabbed the comm. again, willing the aide to meet his challenge before he went mad.

########

"What can we do, Shl'nar? We cannot ignore them both."

The aide's mandibles drummed an irregular beat against each other as he desperately wracked his brain for a plan. _It is bad enough that we must deceive Kh'val, but what of High Elder Kh'alik? I cannot ignore his signal or he will have my head…_

"That is it!"

His shout startled Mr'aal and Ti'nuk, and they turned their wary eyes to him. At the same moment the engineers arrived in Command.

"What is it?" Fh'zaan asked. Shl'nar did not answer him, instead turning to the pilot.

"Can you link the elder's signal to ours without Kh'val knowing?"

Ti'nuk gave him a strange look, wondering what was churning in the aide's brain. "I…suppose it might be possible. What do you have in mind?"

Shl'nar grinned. "I believe that the oomans call it 'insurance'."

########

High Elder Kh'alik growled at his communicator, willing his lost assistant to answer the line. After relentlessly signaling the aide for nearly a day, he was hungry, tired and more than a little angry. _He had better be dead! I will not stand for this disregard. No! If he is dead all hope is lost. Where are you, Shl'nar? _Almost on cue he finally received a response, and Khalik came face to face with both the aide and the Arbitrator. Kh'val looked particularly furious while Shl'nar seemed a little too calm.

"What is going on out there? I have been trying…"

"_What a surprise it is to see you, Arbitrator Kh'val. I dare say the gods are with us this day. We could use your assistance…"_

"_Do not try your cloying tactics with me, Shl'nar. I will ask you once and once only: Where Is Kh'aan?"_

"_I have no idea, Arbitrator. I have not seen any trace of him."_

"_You lie!"_

Kh'alik's eyes darted back and forth between the images. He tried to get a word in several times, but only a twitch under Shl'nar's eye revealed that the aide heard him. Kh'val made no indication that he even saw the Elder, and at once Kh'alik was on the alert. _What is happening?_ He leaned forward and listened intently.

"_I assure you, Kh'val, I have not seen the Firstborn since he was on the Clan Ship, nor have I found any trace of his vessel."_

The Arbitrator growled. _"I find that hard to believe, considering how you have already attempted to deceive me twice. It was my understanding that you were to return to the Clan Ship. Explain to me why you are still out here?"_

Kh'alik saw Shl'nar tense, and the aide's anger appeared on his face. _"It would do you well to control your accusations, Arbitrator. I know not of what you speak. And as for our current location, that THING," _the aide gestured out of his viewport to something that the Elder could not see, _"engulfed us when we were passing it on our way back to the Clan Ship. We have been trapped within it for days and our vessel has suffered a good deal of damage."_

"_It is you who should be wary, Shl'nar. I have the authority to search your vessel." _Kh'val sneered at his screen. _"Should you fail to cooperate, I will have no problem disabling you. What would the High Elder say when he finds out that you were searched by an Arbitrator and found to be harboring fugitives?"_

The aide bristled. _"You would dare accuse me of such a thing? I have a mind to report your behavior to the High Elder at once. Were you not so intent on murdering your own brother, you would no doubt see that he is not on this ship. I am finished with this discussion…"_

"_POWER DOWN AND PREPARE TO BE BOARDED, TRAITOR!" _Kh'alik jumped at the force in the Arbitrator's voice.

"_I will do no such thing, and…"_ The aide suddenly glanced down at the console, his eyes meeting the confused gaze of the High Elder. _"How unexpected. I am receiving a transmission from High Elder Kh'alik. If you would please standby."_

Shl'nar did not avert his gaze and the Elder wondered if he had opened all channels, but his words indicated that the furious Arbitrator on the screen was not privy to their conversation. _"Forgive me, High Elder, but I thought you should hear this. Ever since we last spoke he has been relentlessly accusing us of assisting the Firstborn, to the point of threats like the one you just heard. I am at a loss how to proceed. He __does__ have the authority to search us, but without justification it would be unlawful. Your advice would be of great assistance."_

Kh'alik's mandibles clattered together in his agitation before he sat up straight. "Put me through to him, and keep your channel open."

"_As you request, High Elder." _Kh'alik did not miss the look of satisfaction on Shl'nar's face. A moment later the Arbitrator's eyes grew enormous on the screen.

"Arbitrator Kh'val." The Elder's voice was hard with barely restrained rage. "I am glad to have found you both in such close proximity."

"_High Elder, I believe that your aide is harboring the Firstborn and human. He refuses to cooperate."_ Kh'val's words were cut off by a growl from the Elder.

"Do you actually believe that Shl'nar would go against my orders? Do you question my authority?"

Kh'val looked away from his screen, and Kh'alik saw his jaw clench before he growled softly. _"I would never question you, High Elder. I have good reason to suspect…"_

"I am sure that you do, but you will concede to my orders. You will escort Shl'nar back to the clan ship, lending any assistance that they require with repairs." Kh'val appeared ready to protest and the Elder continued quickly. "After which time you will continue your search. Is that understood?"

Kh'val could not contain himself, and Kh'alik noticed that his aide was enjoying this immensely. _"Return to the Clan Ship? There is no time! The Grand Matron…"_

"Grand Matron Sh'aan is rather disappointed that you have not maintained communication with her as she instructed. I suggest that you fulfill this charge, lest I inform her of your unwillingness to cooperate." Kh'alik had to hide his own amusement at the Arbitrator's expense. _Impetuous pup! Shl'nar will be reprimanded for his deception, but __**you**__..._

########

Emptiness. Ether undulates to reconstruct damage. New energy fuels repair, new power remains. Consciousness where was none, flowing out from within. Fear, new and all encompassing, arcs through the ether. Danger is near. New senses, new instinct. Self? Self preserve. Flight.

########

"…I am disappointed in your attitude, Kh'val. If I am forced to recommend that someone else be sent, you will never recover from the disgrace. Your orders stand: escort Shl'nar to the Clan Ship before resuming your…" Kh'alik stopped in mid-sentence when Shl'nar and Kh'val both gasped in shock and stared past him out of their viewports.

The two vessels rocked slightly in the wake of the _Mhneschk_, which had suddenly taken off like a rocket across space. Its orange glow faded to a minute point in seconds, and before anyone could react it was gone. The aide was the first to compose himself.

"_We…we will return with all haste, High Elder. The engineers are getting repairs underway as we speak." _Kh'alik noticed Shl'nar's distracted tone and his gaze flicked to the Arbitrator. Kh'val's lower jaw hung in astonishment while his color slowly darkened in his growing fury.

"Arbitrator Kh'val?" It appeared to be difficult for him to meet the Elder's gaze.

"_I…As you wish, High Elder, so shall it be done."_

"I await your return." Kh'alik ended his transmission and sat back, surprised that his hands were shaking. _What just happened? Shl'nar will have a lot of explaining to do._

########

Kh'val glared through the comm. link. "You may have convinced him, Shl'nar, but I will not be fooled." He cut the link and roared in outrage before setting a course for home. _I will kill you, traitor, and I will enjoy every minute of it!_

########

Shl'nar was absently aware of both transmissions ending, but could not tear his eyes from the viewport. He sensed the engineers stepping forward, and felt Mr'aal rest a hand on his shoulder.

"Fear not, honored warrior…"

"FEAR NOT!" The aide could not contain his emotions. "It is GONE, Mr'aal! Vanished! Fled! Halfway across the galaxy by now!" He spun around, the expression on his face making the others take an involuntary step back. "We may never find them again! How could we **possibly** find it again? And even if we did how could we catch it?"

The crew quickly tried to reassure the aide, whom they knew was at the end of his emotional wits. This voyage had taken a heavy toll on him, twisting and churning his perfectly obedient and stoic nature, and this last deception apparently cracked his resolve.

"We will find them, Shl'nar."

"I know the course of the nebula. All is not lost."

"You've gotten us this far, honored warrior! Do not lose hope!"

Shl'nar sank into the co-pilot's seat and a defeated whimper escaped his throat. "Paya help us all."


	27. Chapter 27

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 27 – Cavemates From Hell…Again_

Kayla sat down on the wide stone slab and burrowed her toes into the soft bank of the pond. _Front Porch Pond…has a nice ring to it._ She focused intently on the ripples that radiated across the water, hoping to blot out thoughts of her infuriatingly stubborn partner-in-stranding. Mere moments after they'd arrived back at the cave an argument had ensued. Kayla thought that they should see to sorting out their new 'fort' before doing anything else, while Kh'aan wanted to go hunting, or at least scout the hunting options. No matter what logic she threw at him the hunter would not be swayed, and after their raised voices began to echo from the peaks he'd grabbed his sack of weapons and stormed off into the jungle, muttering about 'finding something to kill'.

Determined to prove that she was right, the marine had stomped down into the cave intent on organizing their supplies, but the moment she hit the bottom of the ramp was enclosed in darkness and screamed every curse she knew. Kh'aan had taken their only current light source with him, and the torches were buried in the supplies somewhere in the dark. After talking herself out of hunting HIM down and dragging back his gauntlet if not him with it, instead she'd inspected the area around their cave. The high brush immediately before the opening was both a help and a hindrance, and so she'd thinned out the foliage enough to make moving through it easier, while not completely destroying the natural screen it created. After that she'd cleaned up the ground a little by shuffling around and removing any debris that made her trip or stub a toe. Several thorny shrubs and two mud-caked feet later she'd unearthed a roughly four foot slab of stone from the ground, apparently fallen from the volcano and buried for who knew how long. She nearly threw out her back trying to move it, but once cleaned off it served rather nicely as something to sit on by the pond, instead of planting her butt in the mud.

She lay back and stared up at the orange sky. _This is going to be impossible. HE is going to be impossible! How do you train a 'trained' warrior? He won't listen, the stubborn ox, and honestly I refuse to try if he won't. 'Hunt more important' indeed…yeah, and what will you do with your prize when you bring it back to the cave of chaos, oh royal pain in my ass? _The internal argument threatened to begin anew when her eyes trailed up the rock face above their cave. It was not a sheer wall of rock, more like crags of broken stone, and a smile spread across her face as she rose to her feet.

_I think I need a rappelling line._

########

Kh'aan sat quietly in a small grove of bushes, his eyes trained on a nest of the flathead birds. The six chicks were strangely quiet, and he was waiting for the adults to return in an effort to study their behavior. He'd been reduced to this after fruitlessly spending hours looking for a trace of the creature he'd missed at the pond. He'd been tempted to use his wrist computer to scan the island in one sweep, but for some reason he felt that would be 'cheating'. No other creatures emerged to lay claim to the abundance of tracks he'd found, and the hunter was beginning to wonder if they all fled the moment he and the human had arrived. The lack of suitable prey on this island was starting to disappoint, and he hoped that there was something other than the giant beach creature to unleash his frustration on. _Infuriating female. The cave is not going anywhere. We will have all the time in the world to 'organize'. That is servants work anyway. __**Spoiled, she would call you.**__ Pauk…shut up!_

Kh'aan snorted away the argument before it began again. Not an hour alone and already at each other's throats, he was beginning to think that allowing themselves to be marooned here was a mistake. **"She understands nothing,"** he muttered out loud. The chicks in the nest must have heard his quiet chirps because they suddenly began to honk in earnest. **"Pauk."**

His stakeout disrupted, the hunter rose and decided to return to the cave. He hoped that Kayla had cooled down by now, and a stray thought of where to store his weapons crossed his mind before he snorted. _Great…NOW I start thinking like her. _He passed a tree that he'd marked for direction and turned right. With no sunlight to use as a directional guide, he'd been forced to use old fashioned methods at least until he was able to create an accurate map in his wrist computer. The mark on the tree led him to a stone that he'd smeared with an orange flower and he turned left down a narrow path. _**What is wrong with her suggestion? After all, she has more experience in situations like this. **__I did not just admit that! __**Did too and you cannot deny the truth of it. How many times, other than survival training which you loathed, have you been forced to live off of the land with no creature comforts?**__I am not having an argument with __myself__ over this…she is bad enough._

Kh'aan snorted and turned right again at another slash in a tree. The scent of the pond reached him and he smiled at his directional skill. _Would an ooman have thought of marking their trail? I doubt it!_ He came out of the trees to see that the area around the pond and cave had changed. The ground looked as though it had been sifted through, and the brush hiding the cave entrance looked neater than before he'd left. He trudged past the pond and stepped over a large slab of rock that appeared to have been 'placed' by the water. _What has she been up to? I would have never thought her this 'domestic'._

Suddenly the sound of falling stones reached him and he glanced up the rock face. About halfway up he saw the human climbing, something around her waist trailing along behind her. As he watched he saw her pull more of the line and imbed it in the stone with something that he could not see before continuing. His curiosity and competitive nature got the best of him, and Kh'aan dropped the mesh sack from his shoulders and stepped over to the wall. Hand and foot holds were abundantly placed, and after a moment's thought he quickly began to scale the cliff. Kayla continued to take her time above him, and before long he was directly below her and gaining ground.

The oblivious marine hummed merrily as she paused again to anchor her improvised safety line – several thick vines braided together, through which she hammered stone wedges into cracks in the rock face. It might not hold completely if she fell, but each should hold long enough to break her descent before pulling out. _Slow crash is better than breakneck crash,_ she thought with a shudder_._ A sound from below made her jump, and a moment later Kh'aan pulled himself up beside her.

"Have fun? What about cave?"

She glared daggers at him before continuing up. "Some spoiled royal brat took our only light source, so I couldn't do anything with the cave. I'm busy, what do you want."

Kh'aan snarled for a moment before he reached over to tug at her vines. The human yanked them out of his grip and answered the question in his eyes. "One should never climb alone, but since you went off on your tantrum I was not about to wait for you. This should break my fall if it doesn't catch me."

The concern that welled up in the hunter nearly spilled from his mouth in a roar, but he pushed it back down for the sake of his pride. Instead of raging over how dangerous it was for her to be up here, he simply snorted and pushed past her. "Too slow."

Kayla groaned and gave him the finger behind his back, or below his feet. "I'm not racing, I'm exploring. Hurry along if you want." She set her next anchor before continuing her climb. She was in the midst of coming up with a new nickname for the conceited ox when she heard the sound of shifting rock overhead. The marine's eyes shot upwards just in time to see Kh'aan come sailing past her, the stone he'd grabbed for support following him down.

"KH'AAN!"

She watched as he plunged at least 100 feet to the pond below with the stone missing his head by inches; she only started breathing again when she realized that he had indeed landed in the pond instead of splitting his skull on the ground. She hid her concern behind fury and descended the rock face shouting at him. "That's what you get, you stubborn, overgrown brat! What the hell is wrong with you? Do you think the universe just bends to your whim? If you HAD split your skull I'd have laughed myself silly before lifting a finger to help you! There is no clan here to cushion your ass when you fall on it, you hopeless spoiled princeling! Don't think I'm going to…"

Kh'aan hauled himself out of the water and growled at the litany of curses that Kayla was raining down on him. He refused to give her tirade a moment's notice and instead tried to shake the moss and slime from his hair. His head rang from the impact, and even though he landed in water it was still a shock to his body, his muscles and bones stinging in protest. _Pauking annoying ooman fe…_

He heard heavy steps in mud and looked up to nearly be bowled over by Kayla. She roughly yanked him the rest of the way out of the water and proceeded with a frantic inspection of his body. Only when assured that he was unharmed did she meet his gaze, but she frowned and turned away before he could see the level of concern in her eyes.

"Serves you right. Now help me find the torches before you go off to do something else stupid." Kh'aan snarled and followed after her, but inwardly he smiled. _Good. You do not truly despise me._

They trudged down the ramp and he activated the light on his gauntlet. It took forever to find the container holding the field torches, and Kayla was saddened to see that there were only eight tubes that looked like jumbo flares. "These won't last very long." She removed one and lit it, the tip sparking to life in a bright yellow glow that immediately bathed the cavern. With light to work by she turned to him. "Ok, I'm good now. You can go off and do your 'hunter' thing."

Kh'aan bit back a retort when she abruptly turned her back and started perusing through their supplies. It was clear that she was still angry with him, and it took every fiber of his being to not jump into the battle fray and give her a piece of his mind. Instead he snarled and stormed back up the ramp and out of the cave. A thousand angry thoughts fished through his brain looking for purchase, but instead he paced circles around the pond looking for…anything to take his mind off of beating some sense into her. After the fifth circuit he stopped and sat down on the stone slab. _Do I allow her to believe that she has won, or do I somehow regain my dignity? She acts like she expects me help her? I am a hunter, not a technician or a servant. How should I know what to do with all of that stuff? Leave it in the crates until we need it would be my preference. __**And how would you dress a kill when you brought it back? You'd have to find all of the equipment first and the kill would go bad in the meantime.**_Kh'aan growled in frustration. He did not know what was worse, realizing just how right she was, or thinking about how difficult their time here would be if they did not learn to compromise.

After a while longer of arguing with himself, he finally gave in to his conscience and headed back down into the cave. At the bottom of the ramp he met Kayla coming up, and for a moment they glared at each other.

The human tried hard to bite her tongue, hoping that the discovery in her hands was enough to barter a truce with the headstrong warrior. She forced a smile onto her face and handed it over. "Here…go blow things up."

Kh'aan looked down to see a plasma caster in her hands. _Ti'nuk you sneaky little… _He snatched the weapon from her and an excited series of clicks erupted from his throat. He looked up at Kayla and saw her hide a laugh at his expense. Heading up the ramp he called over his shoulder.

"Need target. Come stand still."

From the depths of the cave Kayla shouted back. "What, can't aim any higher? Be sure to fit your whole head in the shot, asshole!"

The hunter snarled and wandered down the right side of the pond. _Now, for something to blow up. Good idea, Kayla. I __will__ feel much better._ He chuckled and swore never to admit such a thing to her. He walked around the pond until he had a clear view of the upper peaks of the volcano. Without his armor he had to improvise a mounting system for the weapon, and ended up adjusting it into a hand-held device – no trigger to speak of, but all he had to do was point and instruct his computer to fire. Once sure that he could achieve a target he aimed for the high ridge of the mountain. Almost simultaneously a voice sounded in his head. _**Rockslide…nice way to deal with your frustrating companion. Perhaps it will shut her up for a while. **_Kh'aan growled and powered down the weapon. As much as it would serve her right for angering him, he was not the vindictive or thoughtless sort. Such retaliation would be detrimental to _his_ survival as well as hers.

He wandered for an hour without finding anything suitable to use for target practice, and finally headed out of the pass to the beach. Turning left he walked across the sand, his mind mercifully blank for once rather than the raging inferno of arguments that it had been all day. He stopped and leaned against a rock to look out across the water, the desire to use his newfound caster fading under the soothing sounds of the sea. _I am not above learning new things. I was the best in all of my training sessions. This should be no different…only a change in educational topics. __**Bonding with oomans instead of skinning them?**__ Shut up! _

########

Kayla stared at the piles of supplies filling the cavern. Her mind clicked rapidly through options like rounds in the chamber of a gun, and before she knew it military mode had taken full hold. The cavern became a field base, which necessitated not only complete organization but also total defensive design. She tore through the cases, sacks and crates with a singular determination, every item marked and remembered instantly as she categorized the necessities. Items of similar utilization were gathered in their respective piles before being further sorted into order of probable need. Before long she knew every item in their possession right down to how many furs were in the pile, stacked by size.

Once inventory was completed she set to the task of storage. She cut off their area about 12 feet from the ramp and turned to take stock of the remaining space, estimating it at about 20 square feet, before she dove into the task with abandon. Piles were sorted, dragged and restacked with effortless efficiency. Their weaponry and food items were placed closest to the ramp, while the furs were piled in between the two furthest pits in the rear of the cave. For the rest of the supplies, rather than lean them against the wall in groups, she stacked them into effective dividers, jutting out from the wall to provide cover in the event that they were attacked. From the pile of furs she chose three each to start, giving Kh'aan the largest based solely on logic; her thought process ended there. They were placed in the two shallow pits at the rear of the cave, effective as protection from any wind and for defensive purposes.

The marine worked like a machine possessed, until the last item had been placed in its appropriate stash and there was nothing more to organize. Adrenaline still coursing through her veins, she turned around and stepped to the end of the 'living space'. A sizeable stretch of cave still remained leading up to the ramp, with shallow pits on either side at the base and deep hollows on either side of the ramp. All loose stones that she'd removed from the back area were in a pile off to the right side, and a pile of dry sticks found in the cave sat just to the left of the base of the ramp. Kayla glanced up along the roof of the cavern and noticed that it sloped up and away from the living space toward the entrance to the cave. Her gaze traveled down to her feet and back up again, and she licked a finger and held it up toward the ceiling to test for any breeze. _Perfect_. Mind made up, she turned her attention to the pile of stones, a plan forming quickly.

########

Kh'aan lost track of time sitting on the beach, and only when a yawn forced its way from his chest did he heave to his feet and wander back into the valley. He stood on the sand facing the trees and pondered which direction to take back. _There is no point going back the way I came, and I already know the route straight through to the pond._ His gaze trailed to the right, the direction that Kayla had taken Mr'aal and gone to gather wood. The nest of flathead birds had been along that wall of the ridge, and after another thought he turned right and decided to try to navigate his way to the nest. From there he could follow his marks back to the cave.

The trek proved uneventful and lengthy; endless stone on his right and unbroken trees on is left that occasionally grew so close to the rock face that he had to hack his way through with his wristblades. Several times he stopped to inspect strange tracks in the soil, and again wondered where the creatures leaving such trails were hiding. Many of the tracks seemed fresh and it was disconcerting to think that primitive creatures were stealthier than a seasoned hunter like himself. _Perhaps they are invisible!_ Kh'aan snorted at that thought and shoved through another grove of thick bushes. A rock dislodged beneath his foot and threw him forward, nearly landing in the nest he'd been watching before. His outstretched arms stopped him from crushing the five chicks inside, and they honked fearfully at him as he heaved to the side and fell in the dirt.

"**Keep quiet, birds. I will not harm you."** He chittered lightly at them causing their noise to cease in favor of gazing at him with their large curious eyes. He was about to reach forward to a particularly bold little bird that had climbed on top of its siblings when his eyes rested on a bloody patch of feathers on the ground. Upon closer inspection he realized that SOMETHING had attacked the nest while he'd been absent, and the remains of one little chick were smeared along the ground.

"**Where are the predators that attacked you, little ones? I have found nothing, and yet you have been attacked recently."** Unconsciously he had rested a hand on the nest, and the bold little chick used the opportunity to climb up onto the back of his fingers and peck at his tough hide. Kh'aan held back the laugh that welled up in his chest. Instead he slowly raised his hand from the nest until the little bird was at eye level. Its body beneath newborn feathers was a dull muddy black to better blend with its surroundings, and the crest that adorned the head of its adult form was nothing more than a series of bumps down the back of its neck. He huffed out a breath lightly, and the gust of air brought the chick's attention to the enormous face in front of it. Bringing his hand closer, he held still while the little bird stumbled forward and tried to peck at his face. He extended a mandible and watched amused as the infant hopped awkwardly onto it. It honked loudly again and tried to peck at its perch but lost its balance, toppling backwards off of his tusk. Kh'aan reached out and caught the little chick before it hit the ground, and he placed it back with its siblings before retreating into the bushes. Approaching honks signaled the return of the adults, and something told him that they would not take too kindly to his scent being all over the nest. After another glance to make sure that the little bird would stay put, he rose and followed his marks back to the cave.

########

The area around the pond looked unchanged when Kh'aan reached it, and he figured that Kayla was still working in the cave. He shuffled down the ramp ready to activate the light on his gauntlet when the flicker of firelight stopped him. At the base of the ramp he stared around in growing astonishment. The cave no longer resembled the primitive 'hole in the rock' that it had been when they'd arrived – the human had apparently gone a little crazy in his absence. The first pit on the left of the path was filled with water as was the far pit on the right, and directly before him was a well constructed fire circle enclosed by a sturdy ring of stones that were banked in a grade from front to back. There was a small opening in the base of the surround at the back, and when he stepped toward it he realized why. A breeze blew in through the cave opening and toward a large outcropping in the ceiling, which redirected the air down to the ramp and then forward at the fire. Without something to block the back of the circle the breeze would have blown the fire out. As it was, it fanned the flames enough to keep it lit, and the hole in the stones allowed for heat to be blown toward the back of the cave.

He stepped around the fire toward the back, but stopped when he noticed that he could no longer smell the smoke. Her improvised construction also channeled the smoke back up to the ceiling, where it followed the natural flow of air back out of the cave.

"**What are you **_**not**_** capable of, Kayla?" **

Kh'aan shuffled into what definitely looked like a 'living area'. The way she'd stacked the supplies was very strange to him, and he was tempted to push them out of the middle of the floor when he caught a fleeting image of the marine seeking cover behind a giant snow-covered boulder. _Always a soldier, aren't you?_ The 'walls' formed a protective shield, and he wondered exactly what she thought they would need to defend against. He realized that her organization outclassed anything that his people might have done – even Fh'zaan's nearly obsessive attention to detail would not have produced such a shelter – and he growled quietly at his own thick headedness.

"**I owe her an apology. Again."**

At that moment an odd sound reached him, and he stepped past the short wall of medical supplies to see Kayla sprawled face-down on a bed of furs nestled in a pit in the floor. She was lightly snoring, though by her body temperature he could tell that she had not been asleep for long. _She must have expended a lot of energy pulling this together. And what have I been doing but wandering around the jungle playing with birds. _Something made him turn around, first to take in the mountain of furs, and then past them at the other indentation in the floor, now covered with several large furs and apparently ready for his use. She had even placed the spare masks and gauntlet nearby. He knelt by the 'bed' and snorted, bemused at her confusing behavior.

"Thank you," he muttered quietly.

"You're welcome."

Startled, Kh'aan jumped to his feet and turned to see Kayla peering at him from her bed. He took a deep breath to calm down and then nodded to her. "Need to talk."

"Yeah," she replied with a yawn. "Tomorrow." She curled back into her nest and he heard her swear. "Damn…tomorrow, today…whenever I wake up." A moment later he heard her breathing even out, though thankfully she did not resume snoring.

Kh'aan let out an enormous yawn of his own before easing down to the furs. For a bed on stone it was rather comfortable, and sleep claimed him before he could form another thought.

########

Several hours later the hunter's eyes slowly cracked open. The fact that he had slept at all was remarkable enough without considering that he actually felt well rested. He wriggled around on the furs for a moment before stretching his limbs. As his joints popped and realigned he glanced over past the mountain of furs to Kayla's bed. It was empty.

His senses suddenly on alert, Kh'aan listened carefully to the sounds of the cave. Aside from distant drips of water and the light sigh of a breeze, he faintly heard shifting gravel underfoot. He rolled to his stomach and crawled to the end of the stack of technical supplies hiding his corner of the cavern. The hunter quickly strapped on his wristblades and leaned forward to peer around the edge of the crates. The firelight reflected off of the walls of the cave, and he had a clear view of the ramp up to the edge of the ceiling. A heartbeat later he released the breath he'd been holding as Kayla's feet appeared descending the ramp. He sat back and chuckled lightly, first at himself for his panicked reaction, and then at the realization that her barricades indeed made good shields. He peered out again to see her drop a pile of wood on the ground next to the ramp before removing her sandals. An impish grin twisted his mandibles, and he let out a grating, snarling chitter that echoed off of the walls of the cave.

Less than a second after the sound began Kayla froze, her eyes whipping across the cave for the source of the noise before she quickly dashed behind the nearest cover – the stack of weaponry. Kh'aan saw her hand reach up to grab a blade from the pile and drop down again, and he snorted a laugh before rising to his feet.

"Kayla!"

The marine felt red alert leave her body at the sound of the hunter's voice, and she let out a shaky breath before peeking around the weapon stash. "Jesus Christ! Was that you?" Seeing him step out from behind the tech toys, she let out a heavy breath and stood up. "Well, I guess it's good to know that you can make sounds like that. I sure as hell didn't think that was you."

Kh'aan snorted and leaned on the crates. "Can do better." His gaze passed over the walls of supplies with new appreciation before he stepped around them to meet her at the fire. "These work good."

The last of her adrenaline sinking back where it belongs, Kayla chuckled and glanced around the cave. "Yeah, they do make good cover, don't they? Successful test complete." She ran a hand through her hair before stomping over to punch him on the arm. "Don't do that! I'm still in military mode…I could have killed you."

The hunter huffed and crossed his arms. "In dream." He stepped out of her reach before she could retaliate and took another look around the cave. "How you do this?"

Kayla looked up and saw the respect in his eyes; it took a little of the edge off of her still-active temper towards him. She looked around at the fruits of her labor and a small smile quirked the corners of her mouth. "Y'know, I think it helps that you made me mad. It was either 'hunt you down and skin you alive', or 'field base frenzy'." She walked to the back and grabbed a square of fur off of the pile before walking back to the fire. Folding it on the ground for a seat, she motioned for him to join her. "You were right. We need to talk."

Kh'aan snatched a seat cushion of his own and sat next to her. Now that the conversation was upon them he had no idea how to begin, and wound up saying what he'd been admitting far too often. "I am sorry."

The human huffed and shook her head. "Yeah, and I'm sorry too. This really needs to stop."

Kh'aan's head cocked to the side in confusion. "Why sorry? You right, cave first."

She turned to face him. "Yes, but you scouted the island, which is equally important. I bet you know at least three routes around the jungle by now, don't you?" When the hunter nodded she groaned in frustration. "And I only know the way to the beach, and barely remember where I took Mr'aal." The marine took a deep breath before continuing. "We really need to stop being sorry and start thinking. And I stress 'we'. You're used to things going a certain way for you, no questions asked, while I'm used to people having generally the same idea as me going into a situation. But our problem, Kh'aan…" She met his gaze and was surprised when he finished her sentence.

"Not same."

Kayla nodded and stared into the flames. "We don't think anything alike, and we keep taking that for granted. What I believe should be elementary logic might not be to you, and what you believe might be of the utmost importance might not be to me. It's not like we can just improvise...the cultural instincts that sustain us are so vastly different…" She hung her head and puffed a breath from her mouth. "We're going to kill each other if we keep this up."

The hunter was at a loss how to respond, but Kayla groaned and spoke again before he could think of something. "I don't even know if what I'm saying makes sense. All I know is that the mere thought of trying to reason with you about ANYTHING makes me mad all over again, and we'll never survive if this keeps up."

Kh'aan leaned back on his elbow and stared at the ceiling, watching the coils of smoke trail out of the cave. "Think know oomans. You prove. Do not. Must learn more." He sat up. "Yautja not do this. Not first. May find shelter, but not make THIS." He gestured around the cave again.

"Hunter not do at all. Servant work."

Kayla's eyebrow rose in surprise and the two rings clacked together. "Servant? Don't tell me you keep servants?" When he turned away and nodded, several realizations about him clicked into place immediately. "Jeez, Kh'aan, no wonder you're so lost. I mean…I just assumed…what with the whole 'I can hunt and kill anything' routine, that you'd be at home in a situation like this, or at least not so uncomfortable. But you're not, are you? This is some twisted nightmare within a very bad dream for you, isn't it?"

Kh'aan met and held her gaze for a moment. In it he saw that she was not joking around or trying to demean him; she was genuinely surprised. With the extent of his life as Firstborn flashing through his mind, he dreaded the weakness he was about to confess.

"Yautja hunters. Yautja advanced. Yautja also…spoiled." He flicked his eyes to hers for a heartbeat before averting his gaze and continuing. "Mr'aal, Ti'nuk, Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj, all serve. All do work. Hunter use work, not do. Some I do. Hunt alone. Must know some." He took a deep breath. "Never this. Too much." He hid his embarrassment behind a chuckle. "Not night mare, good…company."

Kayla smiled, laughing with him. "Yeah, you say that now. I think I understand, though. Some things were just there for you…ready to use, wear, or do without much more effort than grab, point and shoot, huh?" The hunter snorted but nodded. "The others were just as surprised as you when I suggested gathering wood. Now I know why." She leaned back on her elbows and pressed her feet to the stones around the fire, feeling the heat radiating through.

"I guess I should be used to things just 'being available', since I've spent most of my life in the military. But before I joined I had a woodsman for a grandfather. He loved living off of the land, at least until he got too weak to keep up with it. His homestead was one of the last undeveloped areas in the state, and he fought the government tooth and nail to keep it that way. We'd spend nearly every weekend in the summer out in the woods tracking, hunting, exploring; each trip had a new lesson to learn. How to tell if a plant was poisonous if I've never seen it before; the best way to build a fire that could burn all night and not set the woods ablaze; how to deal with a dangerous animal if I'm unarmed. You know, he even told me that if I'm desperate to find good drinking water, to put the stem of a flower in the water and wait. If the flower reacts then the water is not clean, but if there is no change in the flower then the water should be pure enough to drink." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Sometimes I thought he was just making stuff up to keep me occupied, but my grandfather taught me a lot. By the time I got to boot camp and survival training I was way ahead of everyone else. I guess I was just raised to enjoy something like this…to see it as an adventure and not the royal pain in the ass that it could be."

Kh'aan listened to her intently and was surprised that a female human would have such an upbringing. He thought through his words carefully before speaking. "Yautja train different. Train to fight and hunt, train stealth and skill from birth. Sur-vi-val train-ing," Kayla smiled when he eased the words out, slowly but clearly. "Not for shelter. Hunt or be prey. Best hunter or no honor. Gain trophies for mates. For honor. Learn, but not same."

The marine pondered the glimpse she was getting into his world. "Wow…that sounds pretty rough. Be the best or you're nothing? Even human military isn't that harsh. I don't know if I could deal with that."

Kh'aan's eyes glittered. "_You_ could."

Kayla rose to her feet and retrieved another piece of wood for the fire before turning to rummage through the food supplies. She turned around with a ration pack in her hands and set it open between them before resuming her seat with a dried piece of meat between her teeth. "We've got to name this thing. I've been calling it Beach Beast, which doesn't really do it justice."

Kh'aan chuckled and took several slices for himself. "Good Beach Beast?"

Kayla nearly choked on the piece of meat in her mouth. "Ha, that works! Much better!"

They chatted about their upbringings for a bit longer, eager to keep the dialog going now that their tempers had cooled off. As the human leaned her head back and dangled a strip of meat into her mouth, Kh'aan was reminded of a question that had been bothering him. He waited until finished with the morsel of meat in his mouth before speaking. "Scar?"

"Hmm? What schkar?" Kayla mumbled through the food in her mouth. She tried to swallow it quickly, and watched the hunter gesture to her and draw a talon across his throat. The marine's hand shot to her neck and she flushed for a moment. "Oh, that scar."

Kh'aan nodded. "What from?"

The human gathered her thoughts, not at all happy to discuss the incident but willing to answer his question. "Mission gone bad. It was my second tour. I was just a grunt then, still the butt of everyone's jokes, still the sole female looking over her shoulder for the next asshole to start some shit." She reined in her temper and continued. "Our mission was to rescue a diplomat who had been taken hostage by space pirates." She read the disbelief on Kh'aan's face and nodded. "Yeah, straight out of the twilight zone…space pirates. Anyway, the mission went off without a hitch until we actually cornered their captain – a smelly evil guy with bad teeth and a thing for blades. Anyway, my commander shoved me forward to cuff him, but no one told me that he was still armed. I probably should have known myself, but at the moment I was irritated by one of my squad who kept rubbing his pulse rifle against my ass. I stepped forward and the captain grabbed me, using me as a shield with a knife to my throat."

Kh'aan saw her expression darken, and her fingers traced the edges of the scar. "My squad actually took aim to shoot him through me. For a moment I thought that they were kidding, but when the weapons charged I knew I was screwed. I did the only thing I could when they fired…I ducked. The blade caught my skin but at least didn't go too deep. I nearly quit military service that day…but my commander's superior officer immediately removed me from that squad and put me on his own team…a group of underachievers who just needed someone to have faith in them." Kayla glanced up at her companion and smiled. "They stayed with me for ten years…Franz…Jacobs…all the boys from Jurnada except our Lieutenant. We showed those jerks what we were made of, and became the most decorated squad in service to United Galactic Military Corps."

Kh'aan could feel the pride and pain radiating from her at the mention of her lost team. It reminded him of how many friends he'd lost on that frozen planet, but before the memory swallowed him Kayla had a question of her own.

"And on the subject of scars, you have a strange looking burn on your back. What is that from?" She didn't miss when the hunter straightened a little in his reclined position, pride crossing his features and rumbling from his chest in a low purr.

"Chiva."

"Chiva? What's a 'chiva'?"

"Long story…"

####

AN: Amazing how one chapter can take an eternity to coalesce and the next flows like water. Hope you enjoy the return of our favorite fugitives. The next bit is already halfway written in my brain…shouldn't take long. – Captain 'consistently inconsistent' Razz


	28. Chapter 28

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 28 – Learning Curve_

The two fugitives made their way through the dense jungle, Kh'aan showing Kayla his explorations while they discussed the particulars of what his people considered a rite of passage. He was amused at how excited she'd been when he explained that 'chiva' was how the word was pronounced, but not how it was spelled. When Kayla realized that she was actually saying something in his language, she'd spent ten minutes shouting 'chiva' and laughing like a fool. He'd had to stop her when she started chanting and taking exaggerated steps around the fire.

"Chiva, chiva, chi-VA! Chiva, chiva, chi-VA!"

"How old, pup?"

"Three!"

They now found themselves following tracks through the underbrush, while the hunter tried to explain what the highly honored trials were without offending his companion.

"So let me make sure that I understand this," Kayla gnawed at her lip and ducked under a branch. "This 'chiva' is a type of ritual, for honor and the right to…mate?"

"Yes."

She hopped over a puddle only to get whacked in the face with another branch. "Thanks a lot, ox! And you hunt those black things? Hard Meats, you called them?"

Kh'aan nodded, holding another branch this time instead of letting it go. "Oomans call 'bugs'."

Kayla stopped. "Humans call them 'bugs'? What would humans know about your ultimate trophy?"

The hunter's step faltered for a moment. _How can she not know about them?_ He chose not to answer until they reached the pass, and motioned for her to sit down while he tried to compose his words.

Kayla continued muttering out loud while he suffered through his conscience. "They breed within hosts, right? That sounds messy. And acid for blood? How do you kill them without getting killed?"

He turned to her. "How you not know?"

"What?" Her confusion was genuine. "I think I'd remember if I'd ever seen something like what you're describing."

Kh'aan was at a loss. He growled quietly before crouching in the sand before her. "You guard. Ooman base. We stop…"

Kayla's eyes grew enormous as she slowly grasped what he was saying. "My base? Jurnada? What are you saying, that they were…that the scientists…" She paled slightly. "Oh my god! You're kidding right?"

Kh'aan nearly lost his balance when she abruptly jumped her feet. Kayla paced furiously, her hands clenched at her sides and her voice slowly increasing in volume.

"Do you mean to tell me that we were…that they were…oh my god I can't even say it." She turned abruptly and fixed him with a stern gaze. "Tell me exactly why you were there."

Kh'aan looked away but Kayla stormed forward and grasped his lower jaw, turning him to meet her eyes. "TELL ME!"

"Oomans study Hard Meat. Test. Breed. Tame Hard Meat, or make weapons." He gulped, but she would not release his face. Her eyes were piercing him and he suddenly feared that his mandibles might not survive if her grip tightened any further. "We stop study. Oomans reckless. Hard Meat escape, kill every thing. We keep in…con-trol." He winced when she unconsciously dug her nails into his skin before releasing his jaw.

"FUCK!" Kayla turned and walked away a few paces, her posture so rigid in her rage that she shook. She whirled around to face him again. "So you're telling me that the scientists on Jurnada, the very ones that I've been selflessly protecting for the past 5 years, were experimenting on those things? That your people knew that they had them, and came to destroy us, and we fought for _**their**_ lives against you…AND THEY NEVER TOLD US WHY!" Her voice rose to shrill levels. "And we just blindly followed orders never knowing that the spawn of hell was only an airshaft away from turning us into hosts? WE PROTECTED THEM, AND THEY NEVER TOLD US WHAT WE WERE PROTECTING THEM FROM!"

Kh'aan wished he knew what to say to ease her anger, but he was growing more disturbed by the minute. _Dishonorable oomans, how could they not keep their guardians informed?_ He was brought back to the moment by a wave of sand crossing his vision, kicked up by the furious marine.

"'You're on a need to know basis, soldier, and you don't need to know.' FUCK YOU, GRADY, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

She crouched in front of the hunter and her voice shook in her fury. "You see, I wasn't born yesterday. I asked what sort of research they were working on. I asked what was so important down on sublevel's six through ten that we did not have clearance to patrol the area. That snake! He gave me the typical song and dance, and being the good little marine I kept my trap shut. 'Understood, sir. Just thinking about the team, sir. FUCKER!"

She stood again and walked out of the pass, her steps rigid and mechanical. Worried about her volatile state, Kh'aan rose and quickly followed her. Kayla was so furious that she couldn't think straight. "Expendable…even alone and outlawed by the government, they still treated their sole security force as an expendable asset." She fell to her knees at the shoreline and the tide washed up over her legs. She felt Kh'aan's presence behind her, but could not bring herself to look at him.

"I told you. I told you that humans were devious, evil slime!" Her shoulders sagged as she hung her head back to groan at the sky. "God, I say that to an alien about my own people!"

Kh'aan dropped to the sand beside her and squeezed her shoulder. "Did not know you…did not know." He snorted lightly once he managed to get the convoluted sentence out. "I am sorry."

To his surprise, she tilted her head to the side and rested her chin on his knuckles. "It's not your fault," she sighed heavily. "It's what I get for being a soldier. They count on us; they expect us to be the best, to protect them even if it means sacrificing ourselves. Yet they never think that we should know what we're fighting for."

Kayla turned to meet his eyes, hers red from rage and barely restrained grief. "As of this moment, I officially quit."

########

They sat quietly on the beach for a while longer. Kh'aan did not know how to comfort the displaced and now betrayed marine, and so simply offered his company. After kneeling in the surf until her legs were soaked, Kayla sat back on the sand and leaned on the hunter's shoulder. At the moment she didn't care if it was a sign of weakness; what was left of her life had just crumbled to dust around her, and now she felt even more lost than when she woke up on his ship. The only thing that kept her from marching straight into the sea was Kh'aan's presence, and she swore a silent oath that she would never betray him.

Another tremor passed through the human's body before she heaved to her feet. She met the hunter's gaze and forced a smile. "So, where else did you go yesterday?"

Kh'aan rose from the sand and for a moment simply held her gaze. The one trait he had always attributed to human females he had never expected from Kayla, and yet here she was more vulnerable than he could have ever imagined. His right hand rose slowly and he ran his talons through her hair, pleased when she closed her eyes and smiled before poking him in the stomach. Kh'aan purred lightly and flicked her ear.

"This way."

They hiked back into the valley and Kh'aan led the way to the right. They explored in silence for what felt like an hour before Kayla shouted and rushed into the bushes. She came out with a handful of cinteliptas leaves.

"Look! These are the plants that Mr'aal found!" Thoughts of the healer lightened her mood instantly, and she fed on the pleasant memory like a starved animal. "Did he give you the recipe for that drink that he made?"

Kh'aan had completely forgotten about the data padd that the healer had slipped into their supplies. His mandibles quirked into a grin as he inspected the leaves. "Yes. Best fresh."

She glanced down at the leaves. "Fresh huh? Well, I don't suppose we need to make any right now anyway. At least we know where they are." She dumped the leaves in the underbrush and they continued on their way.

Once they reached the ridge Kh'aan motioned for her to stay close. He was surprised how much of the foliage had recovered since he'd last made his way through, and had to hack away at a lot of the same trees. _Resilient plants. This is a strange planet._ The human was silent behind him, but he saw that she was in 'military mode' again; her steps were silent, her eyes took in everything around her, and her left hand remained close to the dagger on her thigh.

Kayla trailed along behind the hunter wondering at his hidden curiosity. _He really explored, didn't he? I wouldn't have been hacking my way along the wall of the ridge, that's for sure. I wonder…_Her train of thought was cut short when Kh'aan stopped and she nearly collided with his back.

He barely missed stepping on the loose rock that had sent him tumbling before, and once Kayla had regained her footing he motioned her to follow closely. She clung to his shadow as he eased through the brush, and they emerged into a small space in the bushes. Kayla glanced down and saw Kh'aan's footprints in the dirt, apparently from the previous day. They knelt quietly and she waited for him to tell her what they were looking for.

Kh'aan took a calming breath and parted the foliage. There before them was the nest of birds, and Kayla gasped before she could stop herself. He hissed to keep her quiet, but realized after the fact that he shouldn't have.

Kayla's eyes snapped back to the nest as a loud honk sounded. "What the…" Kh'aan's hand snapped over her mouth, but her eyes rested on a little chick that had hopped to the edge of the nest, and was now staring intently at her companion. "hhmmff mfwafn nffh!" Kh'aan removed his hand and she tried again. "He's watching you."

The hunter swore as the little bird's eyes bored through the bushes and fixed on him. The wind shifted and he watched it sniff the air before it began honking excitedly and hopping around on its siblings. He heard a snort and looked over to see Kayla trying not to laugh. She met his eyes and almost choked on her words.

"Oh yeah, he knows you're here alright! Did you make a friend yesterday?"

Kh'aan snarled and was about to swat her with a branch when the ground erupted in front of the nest. A dark shape, almost like a tentacle or a worm and as long as Kh'aan's forearm, reached up and leaned over the edge of the nest. The chicks panicked, honking and flapping their flightless wings in an effort to escape. Before the fugitives could react it snared an unfortunate bird and fell back to the ground, blood and feathers spraying the nest. A moment later it burrowed beneath the dirt and was gone.

Heavy silence descended on the clearing, and Kayla could hear the hunter's breath coming in rapid pants. _I don't believe it, he's…is he actually MAD? Over a little bird?_ She held her tongue and continued to monitor him.

Kh'aan stared at the nest, disbelief giving way to a fury that he did not quite understand. The infant birds honked fearfully, and from a short distance were answered by the approaching adults. Kh'aan rested a hand on Kayla's arm to keep her silent, and they watched as the two adults suddenly burst through the trees. A frenzy of activity occurred all at once. The adults split, one rushing to the nest, the other running directly at the swirl of dirt where the worm had been. It stomped and honked at the space while the other adult snared two chicks in its beak and the other two in its tiny arms. Kh'aan and Kayla thought that they would get away when another worm erupted from the ground in front of the retreating adult bird. It reared with a frightened honk and dashed to the side, but one chick fell from its beak in the chaos. The fleeing adult tore off into the trees while the other battled the first worm, which had returned to the surface for another meal. The bird had vicious talons on its feet, and used them to slash at the worm while it frantically tried to keep out of biting range. The adult kicked the creature to its back, and Kayla saw that it was not a true worm; it had a dozen long talons along its length that functioned as feet, and a huge mouth of sharp teeth that ran nearly half its length. The mouth clamped shut on the bird's leg, and she had just decided that it was time to intervene when Kh'aan dashed out of the bushes.

The second worm had turned its attention to the lost chick, and the poor bird honked fearfully as it tried to run away, only succeeding in running into the side of the nest. Kh'aan hissed angrily, and the bird's eyes snapped to him and it honked again. Without another thought he was on his feet. In two strides he had the worm under his foot and skewered on the end of his wristblades. He heard a high screech behind him and saw that Kayla had dispatched the other worm. The hunter returned his attention to the little infant. The bird watched him with wide eyes, and it started to hop toward him when the injured adult snatched it up in its beak and ran into the trees.

Silence descended again, broken only by Kh'aan and Kayla's breathing. The marine took one more cautious kick at the worm before stepping over to join him.

"So were we here to see the birds or the worms?"

Kh'aan's eyes remained glued to where the little chick had been. Something inside him was more than a little disappointed that its parent had snatched it. He knew that the infant was safe now, but for some reason he'd wanted to show the little bird to Kayla. He shook himself out of his thoughts and picked up the dead worm from the ground.

"Kh'aan?"

He met her eyes. "First found nest - six birds. Second, five. Wonder what took. Now know."

She decided not to prod further. She picked up her worm and looked at it with a sneer of disgust. "Do you have any more of those magic mesh sack things?"

She looked up to see him trying not to laugh at her. He reached to a pocket on his belt and pulled out a tiny white square, which he shook out into another mesh sack. "Yes."

"Hey, don't laugh! It starts out the size of a finger and opens to hold a ship. That's magic if you ask me!"

Kh'aan swatted her with the sack before they dumped in the worms. Both agreed that they should study the creatures and find out if they were edible.

"Though I tell you…I'm not big on eating worms." Kayla shuddered and made a face.

The hunter leaned in behind her and made a slurping sound that caused the human to jump away. "Good worm."

"Gaahhh! That made my skin crawl!"

Once situated, Kh'aan led her down the path that he had marked. They stopped at the first tree and he pointed to the slash before heading off into the bushes. Kayla's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Hey, did you mark your trail?" When he nodded and puffed a little with pride she snorted. "You're not the inventor of that you know, but let me go first! I want to see if I can find it."

Amused, Kh'aan bowed and stepped aside to let her pass. "If."

"Oh ye of little faith." The marine laughed before turning her attention to their course. She knew that the hunter expected her to become completely lost, but she hadn't worked so hard in the military for nothing. She scanned the ridge line above the trees until she spotted the pass ahead and to her left. Her eyes then trailed down to the loose soil, and among the tracks of what they now knew to be worms she saw light impressions of Kh'aan's feet. _Easier than I thought._ She tried to keep her eyes up while covertly following his footprints. After a short trek through more bushes she spied an orange smear on a rock. It pointed to the left at a narrow path through the trees, and without hesitation she altered course and continued on. Kh'aan grunted behind her and she flipped him off.

"Soldier, remember?"

The hunter followed along behind her, but he could not stop thinking about the little bird. _Why am I so concerned about that thing? It is only an infant bird, a prey creature. __**But she is right…you made a friend.**__ Some fierce hunter I am, befriending prey. __**The human is prey. **__…Shut up! _He came back to the present just in time to collide with Kayla's back. The impact threw them both to the ground in a heap and she muttered several curses into the dirt before trying to get up.

"Get off me you big lug!"

Kh'aan snorted and relaxed his weight on top of her. "Can not. Broke…some thing."

The human felt her ribs grind together, and the air was forced from her lungs under his heavy bulk. "Kh'aan, seriously, I can't breathe!"

"Fine," he grumbled, hopping to his feet before pulling her up by the waistband of her pants. "No fun."

Kayla coughed much needed air back into her lungs before she glared up at him. "So you're going to be like that? Fine, next time I'll smother you. We'll see how much fun you have."

########

When they finally reached the pond the human was surprised to feel a twinge of happiness. _Not exactly 'Home Sweet Home', but it's definitely good to be back._ She paused by the seat-stone to adjust a strap on her sandals, and was pondering whether she could knock the hunter in when the pond erupted. Three creatures roughly two meters long leapt out of the water, one landing squarely on Kh'aan's back, the other two on the path in front of her. As the closest charged forward she bent her knees and flipped forward over it, simultaneously grasping a blade in each hand. The beast turned quickly and charged again. Kayla was ready for it, but not for the one behind her. As she crouched to leap over the first beast, the second leapt onto her back and crushed her to the ground. She barely managed to bring up her left-hand blade to deflect the teeth of the first creature from chomping into her skull, and while it shook off the shallow cut to its jaw she struggled to her back and brought up her knees to kick the other beast off.

For a brief moment Kh'aan thought that Kayla had jumped on him. He reached back and snared what he thought was her neck. As he brought his arm back around expecting to see a grumpy human, instead he met the snapping mouth and flailing legs of an amphibious creature. It had a short snout and sharp fangs, its body long, lean and designed for the water. Startled, he tossed the creature into the pond and turned to see Kayla launch another one into the air. He stepped forward intent on assisting her when something splashed out of the pond. Kh'aan turned in time to once again be tackled by one of the creatures. This time he was knocked to his back and landed heavily on the sack of worms. He felt one crunch under his shoulder, and the three beasts paused to scent the air.

Kayla took advantage of their distraction to bring up her other dagger, thrusting the blade up under the throat of the beast above her head. It howled painfully for a brief moment before it collapsed. She heard a snarl getting closer and turned in time to once again raise her feet. The mud-colored creature impacted with her extending heels and she heard a loud crack. It wailed and shook its head, its lower jaw now disconnected and dangling. She looked past it to see Kh'aan push the third beast off of his chest and rise to his feet.

The thrill of the hunt surged through Kh'aan's veins like liquid fire, and he stomped a foot on the ground and roared at the beast while extending his wristblades. The creature reared on its hind legs and howled in response before it dropped to all fours and charged. He stepped forward to meet it but the beast quickly wove between his legs. The hunter turned in time to see it snare the sack of worms in its teeth and dive into the pond. As fast as it had appeared, it was gone.

Kayla had the remaining creature on the defensive, now damaged and rapidly losing its energy. She stalked toward it twirling the blade in her right hand, and watched as the creature repeatedly pawed at its face and whined in pain. Its feet touched the pond, and it appeared ready to dive into the water when Kh'aan's arms wrapped around its body and lifted it off of the ground. Kayla took the opportunity and lunged forward, thrusting her blades into its gut and ending the creature's struggles. Kh'aan handed her another sack and they wrestled the body into it, intent on studying it since the other pond beast had stolen the worms. The hunter then turned to Kayla. She held still and tried not to flush while he inspected her for damage.

"You O.K.?"

The marine rolled her neck and shoulders and then stretched her waist before nodding. "I think so…just a few bruises. You, on the other hand, have a nifty looking slash down your back. Let me see."

She held down a laugh when the hunter's eyes widened and he spun around, trying to get a look at the injury. "Where?"

"Don't even bother! You'll never see it without removing your head and turning it around." She pushed him toward the cave but he resisted. "What are you waiting for? Inside!"

Kh'aan turned back to the carcass and hefted it over his shoulder, the movement aggravating his injury. He had a feeling that the human would protest bringing the creature inside, and so he simply dropped it by the bushes concealing the entrance. _I must designate an area for cleaning trophies_.

Kayla stepped forward and pointed down into the cave. "March!" She laughed when the hunter's shoulders sagged and he shuffled down the ramp. _If I didn't know better I'd say he's pouting. Silly ox!_ Once inside she made him sit by the fire while she grabbed the first aid supplies. Kh'aan turned so that his back was to the light source and waited for her.

Kayla sat down by the fire and stared at the case. It almost resembled a canteen or a snub-nosed rocked, and she frowned trying to figure out how to open it. She heard the hunter snort and poked him in the side. "Ok, you open it!"

He took the case from her hands and slid a talon up the central seam. The device opened with a hiss, and he removed a tube of blue liquid, what looked to Kayla like a butter knife, and another item that looked like an alien stapler. She stared at the stapler-thing for a long time before meeting his gaze. "I don't think you'll need this." Her hand shook as she handed it back. Kh'aan laughed.

"No. Funny face."

The marine frowned and punched his arm. "Next smart remark from you and I'm hitting the injury."

Kh'aan nodded, holding back more laughter, and quickly demonstrated how to use the blue liquid. Once sure that she knew what to do, he turned and tensed in anticipation. Kayla rolled to her knees and gently pushed aside the curtain of Kh'aan's tresses. The moment her fingers brushed the tendrils he hissed, and she quickly pulled her hand back.

"What did I do?" She asked quickly, concern clear in her eyes. The hunter took several deep breaths before grasping the long locks and draping them over his right shoulder. At the moment he was not ready to explain their sensitivity to the human.

Kayla took a deep breath and peered at his back. In addition to the burn, he now had a long slash that cut neatly through the middle of the yellow flesh. "I think you're lucky," she muttered. "The scar saved you from any damaged nerves. This is pretty deep though."

The stapler appeared over his shoulder. "No, not that deep. Jeez…put that thing away, would you?" The hunter chuckled and Kayla whacked him in the head. "Now hold still!"

Kh'aan attempted to relax his muscles; using the cauterizing gel was torture enough - tension made it hurt more. The human opened the vial and poured a small amount of the liquid into a collapsible bowl from the case. He'd shown her how to mix the solution, and she scooped out the additional ingredients from pouches around the inside of the case. "You'd think that you guys would be a little more advanced than neon skin glue," she muttered while stirring.

Kh'aan snorted and was about to answer when the gel touched his skin. Unprepared for the searing fire, his roar was deafening and caused the human to drop the scoop. She winced at the ringing in her ears, but shook it off quickly and applied the gel as fast as she could. The hunter's breath came in broken pants, and she knew that he was gouging holes in his palms. "I'm almost done!"

_I hate the gel! I hate the gel! I hate the gel!_ He squeezed his eyes shut and repeated the mantra until she patted his arm. "Done!"

Kh'aan's shoulders sagged in relief, and a moment later a water jug was shoved in his face. He looked up to see her smiling at him.

"Drink…you must have cracked your throat." Her smile broke for a moment and guilt seeped from her pores, but she quickly recovered. "Screamed like a girl..."

Kh'aan spit out the water and snarled, on his feet in an instant. "Did Not!"

Kayla skipped back out of reach. "Did so! A little owie and we cry like a bab…" The marine shrieked as Kh'aan lunged at her. She ducked under his reach and crawled through his legs before racing up the ramp. "Can't catch me, little girl!"

Kh'aan roared again, and the force of the sound shook stones from the ceiling that the human had to dodge on her way up the ramp. "YOU DIE!"

As he raced after her, a laughing voice echoed back into the cave. "IN DREAM!"

########

The chase did not last very long since both were worn out from the day's activities. Too tired to run, Kayla resorted to hiding in the brush. She led him away from the cave and then doubled back along the ridge. After finding a nice pocket of space in some bushes less than twenty feet from the cave, she held her breath and waited. She could sense he was near, the back of her neck tingling in warning, and the marine tried hard not to giggle. A stray thought crossed her mind at the same time that his legs came into view through the foliage. _This spot would make a good latrine…soft soil, privacy, and it's not near any…_

Her musings were cut short when Kh'aan's meaty hand reached down and palmed her skull, pulling her up out of the bushes. "Found you!"

Though a bit disturbed by the sensation of dangling from her head, Kayla tried to hold still and act unfazed. "Big deal. I wasn't really hiding, just hunting for a latrine. Will this snap my neck if I move?"

The hunter chuckled but quickly put her down. He hadn't thought about the possible danger of picking her up like that. "No fun."

She glanced up at him in disbelief. "Me? I'm the exciting, unhinged one. You're supposed to be no fun! Who's the pup now?"

Kh'aan wracked his brain for a retort, but before he got the chance she shoved him toward the cave.

"Now shoo!"

"Why?"

Kayla chuckled and pushed him away from the bushes. "I have founded the official latrine of Planet K, and now I need it, so scram!"

"Planet K?" The hunter snorted and quickly left the area. _Crazy ooman and her bodily functions. _He arrived back at the pond only to see that the carcass was gone, apparently dragged back into the pond if the marks in the dirt were any indication. With no creature to examine he sat down on a rock and simply looked around. _So now we know at least some of the creatures on this planet – birds, worms, the 'Beach Beast' and…whatever those pond creatures were. I suppose it is better than nothing to hunt at all. _

His musings were interrupted by the human, who skipped out of the trees and stopped with her hands on her hips. "Oookaaay! Now for an 'occupied' marker." Her eyes found Kh'aan and she shuffled over to kneel next to him. "Are you alright?"

He nodded and ruffled her hair. "Thin-king."

Kayla huffed and fell back on her rear, crossing her legs in front of her. "Tell me something. Sometimes when you speak I understand you perfectly clearly, and then others it's like you've never spoken my language before. I mean…I'm not trying to criticize. I just don't understand how you can know some words and not others, or speak some words but not others. Did you learn on your own, or do you guys take lessons in 'human'?"

Kh'aan studied her for a long moment before he rose and walked down into the cave. Kayla thought for sure that she had offended the hunter, and was forming an apology when he came back out with a water jug. He resumed his seat on the rock and fixed her with a hard stare. Kayla's jaw dropped when he spoke.

"I. Know. More. Of. The. Ooman. Language. Than. You. Think.

It. Is. Not. Difficult. To. Understand.

It. Is. Hard. To. Speak.

Many. Ooman. Words. Are. Painful. To. Say." He paused to take a gulp of the water, and Kayla felt a knot of regret forming in her stomach. Kh'aan took a deep breath and continued.

"I. Have. Not. Had. Much. Opportunity. To. Practice.

Speaking. With. You. Will. Improve. My. Ability. As. I. Grow. Comfortable. Making. The. Sounds.

I. Realize. That. It. Must. Be. Hard. Sometimes. To. Understand. Me.

However. It. Would. Be. Impossible. For. You. To. Learn. Or. Speak. My. Language. Half. Of. It. Is. Beyond. Your. Hearing.

And. Yes. We. Can. Take. Lessons. In. 'Ooman'."

Once he was finished speaking, Kh'aan's throat seized and he choked for several minutes. Kayla held the water when it looked like he would drop it, and only when he stopped shaking did he ask for it back.

"I'm a jerk, Kh'aan! I didn't mean to…damn. You're right; I couldn't even begin to learn your language, and here I am complaining about how you speak mine." She groaned and hung her head. "I'm such an ass. I'm sorry."

The hunter regained control of his vocal functions and took several deep breaths before answering. "No sorry. Under stand. Is O.K."

Kayla tried to agree, but she couldn't help but feel guilty. The hunter was putting forth exceptional effort to communicate with her. _And all I can do is make fun of him. Nice one, Sergeant._

Kh'aan saw the expression on her face and knew that she was mentally punishing herself. To lighten the mood he flicked her ear. The marine whined and poked him in the knee, which earned her a poke in the skull, which resulted in her tackling the hunter from his rock.

The chase resumed.

########

_AN: Yay! Another chapter! Though don't expect such splendid swiftness of story all the time. I can't put the muse on a timer, much as I'd like to. Haha!_

_Another note: Kh'aan's voice. Yep, the pred/English speech…Is that Prenglish? Anyway. When I read these stories, people sometimes mention that their voice sounds gravelly, or raspy, or whatever. Frankly all that gives me is Christian Bale with Pred Dreds, or even Russell Crowe with Pred Dreds. So I've decided to specify. This species has a totally different pharyngeal construction, as mentioned in chapter 18 (Mr'aal's curious scans). As such, Prenglish wouldn't sound like 'human with bad accent'. It would sound more like…_

_A snake speaking English with hisses._

_A frog speaking English with croaks._

_A cricket rubbing out English on its legs._

_Mush those together, add a lemon and puree on medium-high. Fire from a high-powered rifle. That's just about what he sounds like speaking English (Or your language of choice)._

_Much Love – da Cap'n._


	29. Chapter 29

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 29 - Unrest_

Shl'nar ordered Ti'nuk to reduce their speed to minimum and then summoned the crew to the command center. Their journey to the clan ship had been a tedious two days of falsifying repair manifests and concealing evidence, all while holding off the curiosity of a furious Arbitrator. Having Kh'val affixed to their shadow like a stubborn stain had put the entire crew on edge. Fh'zaan lost his temper three times since they'd left the nebula, and Shl'nar finally ordered the engineer to get some sleep for a few hours. Now he thought it best to gather everyone together one last time to calm their nerves. Mr'aal was the last to arrive, and once the crew had taken comfortable positions around the small room the aide rose from his seat to address them.

"As you have probably noticed, we will be arriving at the clan ship in less than two hours. As difficult as our journey has been thus far, we are about to meet our greatest challenge." He paused to read their expressions, and noted the determination etched into their features. "We have promised to return a vessel to our lost friends, which will be difficult enough considering the disappearance of the nebula. However, I am sure you are all concerned about the elaborate deceptions we must now undertake in order to fulfill our goal. I, for one, have never had to lie to so many about something this important."

Shl'nar's admittance eased their tension to a small degree, and Mr'aal spoke up. "Mind your moods. We all know how easily a scent can give away the truth."

"Thank you, Mr'aal. He is right; we will be questioned relentlessly by superiors, subordinates, even by those closest to us. It will be difficult to deflect their curiosity without arousing suspicion, but we MUST maintain secrecy at all costs. If the High Elder, Grand Matron, or even Arbitrator Kh'val have _any_ reason to believe that we know where Kh'aan is, we will not be able to protect them."

Sin'kaj snorted from his spot in the corner. "In other terms, we are to feign ignorance?"

"Absolutely!" Fh'zaan fixed his apprentice with a determined gaze. "We technicians have been overlooked and ignored for countless generations, and we have always fulfilled our designated duties without question. This will be no different. We know nothing because we have never been privileged enough to be informed." He nodded to Mr'aal and Ti'nuk. "Our status as invisible servants will be our strength, though unfortunately this will not help you, Shl'nar."

The aide growled. "No. High Elder Kh'alik will be most difficult to deal with, though I am certain that once I have returned to my post, none will question me without first informing him of their intentions."

"Correction - you hope they will follow protocol," Mr'aal interjected. "If anyone agrees with Kh'val's point of view, they may approach you directly and you will be forced to answer their questions."

"Yes, I know. But we cannot allow the clan to find out about our mission. We must keep Kh'aan and Kayla's location a secret."

Sin'kaj could not hold his tongue, offended at such an implication. "I would die before I betray them!"

"We all feel the same, Sin'kaj." The master engineer tried to diffuse his anger. "But you know the ways of the clan, the rumors that circulate about interrogation techniques. We must appear to know nothing to the very best of our ability, or they will have reason to question us. Once in the hands of the Arbitrators, our secrets will not remain hidden for long."

As they drifted closer to the clan ship, they had no idea of the turmoil already running rampant.

########

High Elder Kh'alik and Grand Matron Sh'aan had been in private conference for hours. Kh'alik had spent the time since he broke communication with Shl'nar and Kh'val attempting to figure out what was going on by himself, but came up empty and frustrated at every turn. At the end of his wits and avoiding demands from the council, he finally broke down and confessed everything to his former consort. Sh'aan took the information well, though she was quick to chastise Kh'alik for keeping secrets of such importance.

"You should have been honest with me from the beginning. We would have been better equipped to deal with the Council, and could have avoided the division that is now occurring."

"Do not place blame on me, Sh'aan!" The Elder snarled. "Kh'aan has made this mess himself. He chose to leave the clan ship and return to that waste of a planet. He chose to abandon his birthright for an ooman female."

"What if the ooman were not female? Would you be this adamant if it was simply another male?"

Kh'alik growled. "What have we been talking about? If the ooman was male I would not care what he does! My sole concern is that he will mate with it…her!" He turned away to stare out of the viewport in her office. "Consulting with you is pointless if you refuse to listen to me."

"I have been listening, Kh'alik. What I wonder is if you have been listening to yourself." The regal female fixed her gaze on the Elder. "You are insistent to the point of paranoia that this will come to pass, and yet all who know Kh'aan are certain that he would never mate with an ooman. Why is it that you doubt him so vehemently when others do not?"

The High Elder shut his eyes tightly, and took several tense breaths in an effort to cool his temper. As much as he did not want to give Sh'aan the upper hand, he was out of options and quickly losing ground. Kh'alik slowly turned and sat down next to her on the plush cushions. It took several minutes to force his mouth and mind to work in tandem, but he was thankful that she did not prod him further. "No Yautja of my lineage has ever considered mating with another species…least of all oomans. Our line is of pure blood and should remain that way. If Kh'aan mates with this female he will forever taint our honor. He will…"

"Taint your honor?" Sh'aan could not hold back a snort of disbelief. "So you are not concerned that others will follow in his footsteps, only that they will attribute his failure to you?"

Kh'alik snarled and turned away from her, his eyes drifting to the viewport. Several retorts crossed his mind before he felt well enough in control to answer her. "I fear what this will mean for everyone. I cannot fathom how dangerous his actions could be for our species, but my mind has no shortage of possibilities. I cannot sleep for being haunted by them."

Sh'aan purred gently. "That explains your short temper lately." She reached forward and cupped a hand to his cheek, turning the elder to meet her gaze while her thumb lightly brushed his skin. He purred involuntarily, once again held prisoner by her eyes. "What Kh'aan does is out of our hands, Kh'alik. All that we can do is find him and hope that the situation does not get any worse."

A chime sounded through the room, and a moment later Mr'sah entered. Kh'alik flinched out of Sh'aan's hands and tried to regain his composure while the young aide addressed the Grand Matron.

"You both have been summoned to the Council chamber, Grand Matron. The delegates seem extremely agitated."

The two elders exchanged a nervous glance before rising to their feet. They hoped, for all sakes, that this was a trivial matter.

#######

The High Elder and Grand Matron strode purposefully into the meeting room, and were met by the overwhelming voices of Council members in heated debate. Their eyes swept the gathered Yautja elders and noted that three separate groups were forming. The delegates exchanged heated words, their voices gaining volume quickly.

"His actions are a threat to our entire species. He must be punished to the fullest extent of our laws!"

"We are nothing if not civilized! We cannot condemn one to death without adequate trial and inquiry."

"There is nothing to inquire! He has abandoned his own kind for prey! This is the highest dishonor and will be met with the highest punishment! If you stand with such a Bad Blood, you stand against the Twelve Clans!"

"Wait!" Matron Ixnii from Jumalsa Clan stepped forward. "Why should we waste resources hunting him down? Our true problem is finding a new successor to High Elder Kh'alik. Should we not focus our energy on that? Kh'aan is gone, and apparently has no intention of returning."

Elder Vekk voiced his agreement. "He could be dealt with simply by instructing the Arbitrators to execute on sight if he ever returns. It is far more important to maintain what order we can within the clans."

Elder Nhrul growled. "And what happens when other hunters follow in his footsteps? It will mean complete disorder in the clans, and the collapse of our society!"

Grand Matron Sh'aan stepped forward. "The only disorder that I see is occurring in this very room, among our most highly revered elders." Her words halted the argument, and she continued quickly before any had a mind to interrupt. "It is we who must be the example of order and honor in our society. If we falter, the clans will falter. It will not be Kh'aan's doing, it will be ours. We must proceed with extreme care…"

"You protect him because he is your offspring, the Firstborn you bore for the High Elder." Matron Anali snarled. "If he were the Firstborn of anyone else, you would not be so quick to protect him."

High Elder Kh'alik held his tongue, though he wanted nothing more than to remind Anali of her place. After expressing his extreme views on the matter, now would not be the time to renege on his words. Grant Matron Sh'aan, on the other hand, had no such pause. In two strides she stood before the Matron and Edler of Halkis, staring down on them with such fierce rage that they took a hesitant step back.

"If you wish to retain your place on this Council, I suggest you control your tongue. It is this very behavior, this inability and unwillingness to cooperate and work together that will destroy our world." She stepped back and her gaze passed over the rest of the council. "Is that what you want; to bring about the end of our way of life by allowing your prejudice to overrule your judgment and cause dissention among the clans? Kh'aan's actions are admittedly against our beliefs, and the code of conduct passed from generation to generation for as long as we have existed. However, he has not returned to flaunt his pet among the clans. He has chosen exile, and as one of the possible punishments for his crime I see no reason to assign another without first hearing all of the facts."

Elder Ne'hak of Nightblood clan stood abruptly. "Your Firstborn has caused this chaos and will face the ultimate penalty. There is nothing more to be said, save for this: If you will not bring him to justice, we will see to it ourselves." He turned and marched smartly out of the chamber, and the clan elders who shared his opinion followed closely behind.

Sh'aan and the High Elder stared at the chamber door in growing unease. An unprecedented fissure was forming in the Council that they had never anticipated, and it now threatened to throw their entire society into turmoil. While Kh'alik growled quietly at the retreating Council members, the Grand Matron turned to address those who remained.

"Is this what we have come to? Is this the point from which the Yautja will fall?" She sighed before straightening her posture. "I must know now: where are your loyalties in this matter? How do you, honored delegates, feel that we should proceed?"

Matron Rahsil of Ichanka stepped forward, exchanging a glance with Elder Unakandi before speaking. "I cannot answer for all, Grand Matron, but we do agree that it would be a waste of valuable resources to send any more search parties to recover the Firstborn - forgive me, 'former' Firstborn. The punishments for his crime are listed as Banishment, Enslavement in the Ichor mines, or Death. He has already chosen exile as you have said, and so it seems pointless to me to launch a possibly fruitless search simply to judge and re-sentence him. Kh'aan certainly knows that to return now would mean immediate execution; I do not think him so foolhardy that he would attempt it, and so I feel that justice has been served. We should focus our efforts on replacing him."

Several of the delegates grunted in agreement, though Elder Wulk of Solaris stepped forward to address the remaining council members.

"Why should he be punished? We do not even know why he went back for the ooman. Should we not have more facts before passing judgment? If his was an act of honor, it would be dishonorable on our part to exile him for it."

High Elder Kh'alik finally tore his eyes from the chamber entrance and joined them at the Council table. "To ascertain facts, we would need to retrieve Kh'aan and bring him here for an official inquiry. You have already agreed that doing so would be of no benefit, and once here he could be in danger of retalliation or assassination before a proper trial could commence." He sighed and met Sh'aan's gaze before continuing. "Though my initial impulse was to find and return him at all costs, I now realize that it would be in everyone's best interest if we accepted his exile. However, I do agree with the stipulation that Kh'aan should be executed on sight if he ever returned."

The words tore through the High Elder like white-hot blades, and weakness traveled through his limbs until he felt the light touch of Sh'aan's hand on his back. Her strength reinforced his and after a moment he regained control of his emotions. While he still had the attention of the delegates, Kh'alik returned to their most recent issue. "Of more importance is the division occurring in the Council. With Elder Ne'Hak rallying other clans to his point of view, we must monitor their actions closely."

Before he could itemize his concerns, the Grand Matron's aide rushed into the room. "Forgive my interruption, Grand Matron, but I have a message for High Elder Kh'alik."

Mr'sah waited for the regal female to nod her assent before nervously turning the the High Elder. "Because your aide is not present to receive your messages, the docking bay has asked me to inform you that Shl'nar has arrived and is docking now, along with Arbitrator Kh'val." The young assistant bowed respectfully before stepping back to await her orders.

"At last!" Kh'alik could not contain his relief. "Send word that I am on my way. Grand Matron, if you will join me?"

Sh'aan nodded before quickly dismissing the Council. "We will continue this discussion at a later time. I will contact you within the next several days, once we have some idea what we are dealing with." The delegates nodded silently, and the High Elder and Grand Matron quickly left the chamber with Mr'sah close behind.

########

Shl'nar met his faithful crew by the access hatch, and their nervousness clouded the air with musk. Even he could not stop the anxious twitch of his mandibles, but he was determined to get them through this task at all costs. Taking a deep breath, he turned to the others.

"We all know what to do?"

Mr'aal grumbled. "I feel 300 years younger. This is very embarrassing."

The aide chuckled. "You agreed that this is the best way, old friend."

"Yes, but…" the healer sighed before hunching his shoulders. "I am ready, honored warrior. I will not let you down."

"Nor will we," Fh'zaan interjected. "Once we have debriefed, I will contact you as we discussed."

Shl'nar nodded. He met each of their gazes, and the determination he saw there reinforced his strength. As the sound of the ramp meeting the deck plating echoed through the ship, he huffed out one last nervous breath before taking the healers arm. Just as he thought he might crumble to pieces from the apprehension in his veins, a low chuckle escaped from Ti'nuk. All eyes shot to him, but the pilot was having a hard time keeping a straight face. His laughter grew stronger and before long filtered to the rest of them. The aide squeezed his eyes shut and tried to pull himself together, but a glance back at the engineers ruined his chances; they were leaning on each other completely overcome with laughter - even Mr'aal shook with mirth. As the hatch slowly opened and flooded the corridor with light, Shl'nar let out a pained snort.

"FOCUS!"

########

Mr'sah scrambled to keep up with the High Elder and Grand Matron. In all her years she never thought that she would witness either of them in such haste, much less RUNNING as though an entire hard meat hive were chasing them. Several times she stopped to pick up various ornaments that fell from the elders as they tore through the corridors, and more frequently she paused to invent a suitable story for those whom they nearly ran over.

"They have been summoned with all haste."

"A demonstration of attention to ones duties, no matter their station."

"An amusing challenge from the council, is it not?"

Grand Matron Sh'aan held her skirts in both hands, and her powerful legs kept her a half step behind the High Elder, who had wrapped his cape around his arm to keep from catching on anything. The thunder from their steps vibrated throughout the ship, bringing many curious onlookers out into the corridor only to quickly dash out of the way. Mr'sah ducked again when a small comb escaped the Grand Matron's tresses, and she quickly scooped it up before hurrying on.

The door to the docking bay hissed open too slowly for High Elder Kh'alik, and he twisted around the edge in time to nearly run over the bay Overseer. Grand Matron Sh'aan nodded curtly to the flustered technician before tearing after Kh'alik down the platform. She heard Mr'sah speaking behind her and made a mental note to reward the young assistant for her superbly quick thinking. The regal female returned her attention to the docking bay just in time to collide with the High Elder, who had stopped short and whose astonished gaze was locked on his personal vessel.

Kh'alik's mandibles spread in shock and his mouth hung open in complete disbelief. The once gleaming ship looked as though it had battled a star – its hull was blackened in large patches, the smooth metal pitted as though burned. The stench of fused components made his senses reel, and though powered down, he could hear the engines struggling with the simple effort to cool off.

"My…my ship! What have they done to my ship?"

Before the Grand Matron could offer some sort of comfort, the access hatch opened. Both took an involuntary step forward, anxious to see the lost crew. First to emerge were Shl'nar and Mr'aal. The aide held a firm grip on the healer's arm and led the old one slowly down the ramp. Mr'aal appeared ready to collapse, his old hands shaking and eyes squinting against the light. His shoulders were hunched with fatigue, and he appeared even older than his 847 years. Shl'nar's features were locked into a frustrated scowl but it did not hide the weary set of his shoulders. The aide growled when a technician stepped forward to assist him with the healer; his unyielding poise evidently all but spent.

Behind them followed the technicians and pilot. Though most ignored their presence as was customary, Sh'aan could not help but search their features for some clue as to what happened. The pilot looked especially haggard, his tresses slightly disheveled and a scowl on his features. The engineers kept their heads down and immersed in data padds, apparently finalizing their reports. At the base of the ramp they immediately approached the Guild Master, who had also rushed to the bay the moment they docked. The Grand Matron was about to turn her attention back to Shl'nar and Mr'aal when she saw a strange glint from the belt of the apprentice. At almost the same time, the head engineer nudged his subordinate and the youth quickly tucked the item into a pouch on his belt. Sh'aan smiled. _I must have a little talk with the young technician_. She returned her attention to the High Elder, whose voice was incredulous and increasing in volume.

"But what happened, Shl'nar? I entrusted you with my vessel, I did not tell you to kill it!"

"High Elder, I assure you that I will give you my full report just as soon as I have seen Mr'aal to the Healer's Guild. It is my fault that he is in this state, and I cannot in good conscience abandon him to someone else. Once I am certain that he is being cared for properly I will meet you in your chamber." The aides tone left no room for argument, and the flustered Elder could only nod as Shl'nar turned to the exit. Kh'alik turned his shaky gaze to the Grand Matron, who snorted in disbelief.

"No, my friend, I am lost with you."

########

Shl'nar's vice grip only loosened when they crossed out of the docking bay. Mr'aal let out a quiet laugh and straightened his shoulders for a brief moment before returning to his hunched shuffle. "Did you see their faces?"

The aide chuckled and hung his head. "I never thought to see such confusion on the Grand Matron and High Elder. Honestly, Mr'aal, where did you get the idea for this?"

The old healer laughed again. "I was inspired by a feisty ooman, who I am certain would appreciate our performance."

Shl'nar sighed, and then nudged the healer back into character as they came up to the bank of express shuttles. "She certainly has affected us all. Be sure to keep that to yourself." As they entered the small elevator-like booth with several delegates, Mr'aal nodded and then groaned.

"I am too old for adventures."

########

Kh'val took his time powering down his vessel. He had no doubt that High Elder Kh'alik was waiting on the platform to reprimand him or throw some other fit. After the infuriating journey back to the clan ship, and the consistently sneaky behavior of the Elder's personal crew, Kh'val was running short on patience, and preferred to avoid an inappropriate response to his sire.

The Arbitrator held his breath while waiting for the exterior hatch to open. _If I am lucky, he will be too busy interrogating his subordinate to even notice me. _He blinked against the light of the dock and hurried quickly down the ramp. A brief glance around the platform revealed the High Elder and Grand Matron watching the retreating backs of the aide and healer, and Kh'val took the opportunity and dashed around to the opposite side of his ship. With his attention on his sire, he nearly collided with Elder Ne'hak who was waiting patiently next to the starboard landing strut. The Arbitrator composed himself quickly and respectfully bowed.

"Honored Elder Ne'hak. To what do I owe this honor?"

The resplendent Yautja nodded curtly. "Come with me, Arbitrator. We have things to discuss."

Kh'val's expression gave away his surprise, but he quickly composed his features. "Of course. I am at your disposal." His instincts screamed for him to turn the other way, but he knew that to refuse would bring dire consequences. _What do you want, you pompous fool?_

The Elder led him out of the docking bay by way of a secondary entrance, completely avoiding the High Elder and Grand Matron. Kh'val found this odd and made a mental note before hurrying to match Ne'hak's swift pace. Several corridors and stairwells later, the Arbitrator found himself in the luxurious offices of Nightblood Clan. The elder stepped around a huge sculpture in the center of the floor and motioned Kh'val to one of several cushions next to the far viewport. As he passed the enormous construction, the Arbitrator suddenly realized that it was covered in trophies - not neatly arranged skulls, but entire skeletons of vanquished foes molded and jumbled together to form a twisting pillar of pain and anquish. A chill traveled his spine at the sight, but a small part of Kh'val was in awe of the display and wondered how to recreate it on his own ship.

He sat opposite the Elder feeling mild unease, but the sensation increased tenfold when a side door hissed open to admit Matron Zheva. She glided across the room and settled beside Ne'hak with more grace than seemed possible for such an imposing being. Her jet black skin appeared almost liquid in the dim light, and her piercing eyes bored into Kh'val with such ferocity that he nearly forgot to breathe.

"Arbitrator Kh'val." She wasted no time getting to the point, and her voice cut through him like liquid fire. "It is our understanding that you have been tasked with the retrieval of the High Elder's Firstborn, who is currently in hiding with an ooman pet." Kh'val could only nod, his voice trapped in his throat under the weight of their combined stares.

Elder Ne'hak wore a sinister expression. "I expect that you will return to the hunt immediately."

Kh'val forced his features to remain neutral. "The High Elder and Grand Matron will no doubt wish to speak with me before I continue my search."

Matron Zheva snarled. "Delays are unacceptable. It is of the utmost importance that this Bad Blood is seized and punished for his crimes. What they want is irrelevant ." Her tone sparked a tiny measure of hope in the Arbitrator. "Under the authority of Nightblood Clan, you are ordered to return to your ship and resume the hunt. Do not return until you find him, and you will bring the traitor and his pet directly to this room. Is that understood?"

The Arbitrator leapt to his feet, something in her tone and their gazes moving his limbs of their own accord. "Perfectly, honored elders. But, what about the Kh'alik and…"

Ne'hak appeared so swiftly before him that Kh'val nearly lost his balance. "Your ONLY concern is the traitor. Now go."

Kh'val bowed and swiftly backed from the room, the empty eyes of the trophy statue seeming to follow him. Once in the corridor he broke into a run, eager to resume the hunt but even more anxious to get away from the most feared clan leaders on the Council. _If they plan to rise against the High Elder and Grand Matron, I do not want to be on the receiving end of their wrath. _

The Arbitrator skidded into the docking bay intent on departing as quickly as possible. He rushed to the control platform to inform the technicians, and then backtracked to his ship. With his mind shifting ahead to finding Kh'aan, he was unprepared when High Elder Kh'alik stepped into his path.

"Arbitrator Kh'val. I wondered what was keeping you. Come. We have much to discuss."

For once, Kh'val had no qualms about refusing his sire. "Forgive me, High Elder, but I have orders from Nightblood Clan to resume the search."

Kh'alik's eyes grew wide in surprise. "What! Your orders, from ME, were to remain unti I have dismissed you back to the hunt. They do not have the authority to supersede me."

"On the contrary, High Elder," Elder Ne'hak stepped onto the platform with several other delegates in tow. "Nightblood Clan's authority over the Arbitrators does supersede yours, as we originated their position and we conduct their training." A smug smile briefly crossed his features, and the assembled clan elders nodded their agreement. "It is within my right to command any Arbitrator I choose."

Kh'alik could barely control the rage building within him. "You will have no right by the time I am finished with you!"

Kh'val backed away slowly, the musk radiating from the two threatening to overwhelm his senses. The two regal leaders stepped forward until they were toe to clawed toe, and High Elder Kh'alik's temperature was rising rapidly. Elder Ne'hak appeared to be well in control of his emotions compared to Kh'alik, and the Arbitrator wondered exactly what he was up to.

"I suggest you take care with your tone, High Elder. It is unbecoming for one of your status."

"How dare you!"

Kh'val's back brushed against his vessel, and after a quick glance he tapped a command into his computer and cloaked. The elders never noticed his disappearance, and as their argument drifted away from the ship, the Arbitrator took the opportunity to slip on board. Though nervous regarding the current unrest on the Clan Ship, he knew better than to get involved. Kh'val quickly set a course to return to the Mhneschk, and once clear of the docking bay he pushed the engines to full power. _What trouble you cause, brother, all for a little ooman. _

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AN: Greetings, happy peoples. Hope this chapter satisfies. Unrest in the ranks! Political intrigue and giggle freeze! And a partridge in a pear tree…

A quick side note: More Mess-world clarification. The "clan ship" is not for any particular clan. Think of it as the Parliament building, or Capitol Hill…where the various societal leaders gather to butt heads. It is like Washington DC to the rest of the United States. The Grand Matron does not live there (her residence is a secret), but she conducts her duties there when necessary. It is essentially High Elder Kh'alik's home, but he travels a lot too. The people working and living on it are there either to keep it running, or passing through on some mission or another. The clans themselves, and their respective delegates, each have a home planet and only travel to the Clan Ship for important political functions. It's not that big of a deal to explain, but everyone has a different idea of how this culture functions. Here's another possible aspect of Yautja culture.

Also, it was brought to my attention that my characters don't behave like typical Predators. Well, that is because typical Preds are hunters…killers, hard-asses, jocks if you will. My story, if you've noticed, has really only 2 "hunters" - Kh'val and Kh'aan (one is a psycho, the other a slightly naive prince). The rest are those that we typically have not been given a glimpse of…healers, technicians, assistants, political figures. I'm having fun playing with them, since I can give them a wider range of behavior. So yeah, more emotion and thought, less grunting and "me tarzan, you meat sack, me make nice belt out of you".

Read, Review, Rest, Revitalize, and "Roam if you want to…roam around the world…"

Yours in space-faring dreamdom - Captain Razzma*sneeze*ta*sniffle*zzzz*CHOO! (I hate spring).


	30. Chapter 30

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 30 - Fun and Games and Losing an Eye_

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The human stretched languidly on her fur nest, quite used to the primitive comfort in spite of herself. _Only a few days and already I feel like…oh what was that old program…'William's Island', or was it Gilbert? All we need are coconuts and we could build a whole new ship._ The thought made her laugh, and she was about to happily turn over and go back to sleep when a loud splash echoed into the cave. Instantly on the alert, Kayla grabbed her knives and quietly crept up the ramp with images of pond creatures snarling in her head. She dropped to her knees once at the top and kept her head below the cover of the bushes. Her heart drummed in her ears, and she took several deep breaths before crawling forward to peek through the foliage.

"What the hell?"

Instead of giant water lizards, there stood a scowling former Firstborn, one by one hurling larger and larger stones into the pond. He grunted as he released each stone, and he stared at the ripples with such loathing that she thought he'd start beating the pond with a stick any minute. The marine's systems settled down almost immediately, but she kept her hand on the hilt of one dagger as she stepped out of the bushes…just in case.

"Are you trying to lure them out, or did the pond gurgle inappropriately at you?"

Kh'aan turned abruptly, and the stone in his hand dropped unceremoniously into the water with a low 'ploosh'. He noted the hidden smirk on the human's face and snarled before picking up another rock. "Bored."

He was unprepared when Kayla came over and snatched the stone out of his hand. "That will never do. You need a flat one."

Kh'aan cocked his head to the side, his frustration giving way to curiosity. "Why? Is heavy enough. Loud splash."

"Well sure," she replied absently, bent at the waist and peering intently at the stones littering the ground, "if you just want to make noise and displace water."

Kh'aan watched her select several flat stones, not similar in shape but all nearly equal in thickness. She let out a small sound of triumph when she dug up a near perfectly-round stone, and she tucked that one in her pocket before dumping the rest into his hand.

"But if it's a boredom-killer that you're looking for, watch and learn." She fit a stone between her fingers and thumb, turning it until she was sure of the grip. Once comfortable, she drew back her arm and threw the stone, though Kh'aan was unsure if 'threw' was the proper term. She swung her arm from the elbow and her wrist cocked at the last second, launching the stone across the pond. It impacted with the surface and bounced, skipping three more times before it finally sank beneath the water.

Kayla whooped and absently slapped the hunter on his arm. "Ha! Not bad for my first try in 15 years. Ok, now it's your turn."

She didn't give Kh'aan a chance to question, instead choosing two stones from the collection in his hand and dumping the rest on the ground. "Now hold it like this, that's right…no, a little looser. Good! Ok, now you want to…no! Wait until I say!

The hunter tossed the stone, impatience overruling his curiosity. It sank with a light 'splish' and he growled. "Dumb"

Kayla snorted. "Yeah, you are. Now pay attention."

Kh'aan was about to retort when a tiny voice in his mind reminded him that he _was_ bored. He focused on her instruction, and after several failed attempts he finally managed to gain three skips from a stone. He could not stop the short bark that escaped, and when he glanced over Kayla was beaming at him.

"See, it's not too difficult! Now for the fun part…" Her grin twisted into a smirk. "I challenge you!"

The moment the word 'challenge' escaped her lips, fire surged through his veins and he growled in anticipation. "You lose!"

They sized each other up with equal sneers, and then their competitive natures took over. Kayla remained in the lead due to her prior experience, but Kh'aan was a fast learner and even more dextrous than the marine. He was surprised that such a mundane activity could be so entertaining, and as much as he refused to lose to her, the formal challenge gradually fell to the back of his mind. They wasted hours skipping stones across the pond, and even went to opposite sides attempting to knock each other's projectiles off their course. After a while the score held at an even tie, and Kayla felt as though her arm would fall off. She called the hunter back over, noting that he was flexing the strain out of his fingers.

"Ok. Last one." She smiled at the disappointed scowl that crossed his features. "My arm feels like jelly."

Kh'aan snorted. "Wimp." He hopped back a step when she swung a fist in his direction, and then carefully chose another stone from the ground and waited for her signal.

Kayla plucked the round stone from her pocket. "Ok, the final challenge is for…um…" _Jeez, what can we bet on?_ "Ah! The winner gets the last of Mr'aal's brew!"

Kh'aan made a noise that she swore sounded like a whine. "Not fair."

"What? We can make more, but the winner gets the good stuff made by a professional." She turned her attention to the pond, shook out her wrist and readied the last stone. Just as she pulled her arm back, the whisper of a talon against the base of her neck sent a shiver down her spine. Kayla clamped her fingers around the stone and turned to glare at him.

"That's cheating."

Kh'aan snorted and respectfully gave her some space. The human readied her stance, rolling her neck and shaking out her arm some more before she abruptly cast the stone. It sailed straight and true, skipping seven times before it finally sank. The trail of ripples looked like raindrops across the water, and Kayla turned to him with her hands on her hips.

"Beat that, Mr. Bored!"

Kh'aan's eyes narrowed, and he snarled at her before turning his attention to the water. He was gauging the wind and his planned trajectory when he sensed movement, and his hand shot out to clamp over the human's skull , halting her sneaky progress. Kayla winced, her plan to distract him thwarted.

"Cheat."

"Fair's fair. You started it."

The hunter waited until she was an acceptable distance away, shooing her back and trying not to laugh. He twirled the stone in his fingers and took a deep breath, and then launched the rock across the pond. It sailed low to the surface looking like it would drop beneath the water at any second, but then its first impact cascaded into a string of tiny skips. When it finally submerged, seven circles rippled across the water in its wake. Kh'aan turned to the human and crossed his arms, a triumphant smirk on his features. Her jaw hung open in disbelief, but she clamped it shut when her gaze met the stubborn hunter's laughing eyes.

"No way! Two out of three! You cheated somehow!" She frowned and turned away breathing heavily, but then her shoulders sagged and she reluctantly faced him again.

"Fine, we'll split the booze. That was beginner's luck anyway."

Kh'aan snorted before scooping the human up in both hands. Kayla flailed in his grip, held over his head with a birds-eye view of the pond. The hunter's rumbling laugh gave her a very bad feeling, and she stopped thrashing in favor of pleading for her life.

"Kh'aan, I'm pretty sure that I know what you're thinking right noooooowwww!"

He swung her from side to side, the motion telling her that she would be a flying rock soon enough.

"Please…for the sake of your children, if you have any…do NOT…!"

Kh'aan spun her around between his hands like an aerial propeller, nearly losing his grip in the process. The human squeezed her eyes shut as the island swirled around in a blur.

"If you don't put me down right now, I swear I'll make sure that you can never reproduce again…do you hear meeeeeeeeeee…!"

Kayla was airborne for a briefly eternal five seconds, and then plunged into the pond with an enormous splash. It was deep and surprisingly warm, but her fury boiled too hot to notice her surroundings for long. She surfaced sputtering, and saw the hunter doubled over with laughter.

_I'll teach him,_ she thought with a sneer. The marine took a deep breath and dove underwater. Her training had included submergence drills, and she hoped that her lungs remembered the four minute record that she'd set ages ago.

Kh'aan turned his back to the water and tried to calm down. The human was entertaining enough, but tormenting her was becoming a delight that he could not resist. The expression on her face as she sailed through the air was enough to keep him laughing for weeks. He took several choking breaths before he felt controlled enough to turn around. He expected her to attack him or at least unleash a string of curses, so when his eyes found no trace of the feisty marine he was momentarily startled.

"Kayla?"

Aside from the breeze and ocean, all was silent. He took a step toward the pond and called again but received no response. Kh'aan took a shaky look around, his mirth fading rapidly.

_Where is she? I would have heard her emerge from the water. What if the creatures attacked her? I know that she can swim, but what if she hit her head? She may be drowning!_

Kh'aan dove into the pond, his panic mounting to frenzied proportions. The water was murky and his motions kicked up silt that made it even harder to see. He surfaced and took another breath before diving again. He swam circles in the water hoping for some sign, but she was nowhere to be found. The hunter broke the surface, treading water, and his bellow echoed through the valley.

"KAYLA!"

He spun in place, frantic that he might have inadvertently harmed her, when the water suddenly erupted in front of him. The marine shot out of the pond and pressed her hands down on his head, her full weight pushing him under. He felt her feet kick off of his shoulders, and by the time he surfaced again she was gone. _Why you infuriating, sneaky, juvenile…_Kh'aan snarled and dove under, quickly swimming to the bottom of the deep pond. From this vantage he spotted her easily against the sky-lit surface, her skin reflecting the meager orange haze that filtered through the water. She was hanging onto a cluster of roots, her mouth barely breaking the surface to take a few gulps of air.

Kayla ducked back under in time to see the hunter rocketing towards her from the depths of the pond. She pushed off of the roots with her feet, briefly breaching the surface before diving over his head. Kh'aan tried to snare her foot but in addition to the pond slime, her skin was slick when wet and very difficult to get a grip on. They twisted around each other in the water, each trying to gain the upper hand but failing miserably. After another hour or so they signaled a truce and surfaced, breathing heavily around barely restrained laughter. Hunter and human heaved out of the pond and sprawled on the bank, their energy all but spent.

The marine glanced over at her companion, chuckling at the slime running from his tresses. "Better now?"

Kh'aan chittered lightly. Indeed, even though they really hadn't done anything productive, he was as worn out as if they'd been wrestling some enormous beast. "Much better."

She laughed and resumed staring at the clouds. "It's funny. I never thought you'd be the type to get bored." She heard him snort. "I'm serious. You fly a ship through space looking for new and exciting things to kill. 'Boredom' doesn't really fit that scenario."

Kh'aan rolled to his side and gazed at her, levered up on a bent elbow. "No ship here. No hunt. Bored."

She huffed in understanding, nodding her head. "True. Point taken." The marine sat up and pulled some slime from her pants. "Now I need a bath; there's grit in my eyes."

The hunter stood and reached for her hands, hauling the human to her feet. "Beach."

She nodded, agreeing that the ocean would be at least a little cleaner than the pond, and a smirk crossed her features. "Good idea. Race you!"

Kh'aan growled and turned to race out to the shore. A moment later he heard her skidding into the cave and he stopped. The marine called out from the cavern.

"Gotta grab your gear!"

He snarled under his breath and raced down the ramp; the human was quickly rummaging through their supplies. He grabbed his wristblades and a water jug and then turned to see her running up the ramp. "CHEAT!"

"Ha! Too slow!"

They tore through the jungle to the beach, and then dropped their equipment to charge into the sea. The human sighed when she surfaced, feeling the slime fall away from her skin. She heard a purring rumble and Kh'aan surfaced next to her.

"Hate slime."

"I won't argue there."

########

They sat on the beach letting the light breeze dry their skin. Kh'aan tinkered with his computer, occasionally growling at the waning power source, while the marine scanned the mountain crags from her sprawled position on the sand. She was rather amazed at how broken and jagged they appeared from the shore-side; they made the valley cliffs look like smooth walls in comparison. She sat up and nudged her companion.

"Hey, want to act our age now? I just thought of something productive."

A chuckle rumbled through the hunter and he eased to his feet. "What crazy idea now?"

Kayla laughed while brushing sand from her pants. "You're getting better, bucko. I was thinking that now would be a good time to scout the shoreline. I grabbed a ration pack and you brought water, and we're armed, so we're all ready for an excursion.

Kh'aan twisted his torso from side to side and chirped in agreement. "Good idea. What way?" He laughed when she made an elaborate bow.

"You may choose, your highness."

The hunter looked back and forth several times before heading in the direction of the large beach creatures. He preferred to meet them first, rather than have to do battle after a long trek around the island. Kayla trotted up to his side and they walked silently until he grunted and poked her in the arm.

"No more…hi…ness."

"What do you mean?"

He stopped and met her gaze, his turning serious. "Not Firstborn. No more joke."

Kayla bit her lip, a slight flush heating her cheeks before she nodded. "Oh, I see. Sorry, no more royalty jokes." His mandibles twitched for a moment but he held down the smile, and the marine stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll just stick to the 'big dumb ox' jokes then, huh?"

The hunter growled and dropped his gaze; she could tell he was trying not to laugh at her. "OK, crazy little ooman."

########

They made their way down the beach in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. As they reached the bend around the outcropping, Kh'aan noticed a change in Kayla's scent. When he hazarded a glance he noted that she was in 'military mode' again. Her hands remained close to her weapons, and tension coursed across her shoulders like waves of heat. Abruptly she took two quick steps in front of him and raised her hand in a fist. He halted immediately and then lightly snorted when she waved two fingers at the rocks beside them. Though betrayed, he understood that she could never forget her training. He took her lead and scaled the outcropping while the marine crouched and crept toward the edge of the stones. They peered around the bend at the same time, breath held in anticipation, and both warriors groaned when they spied an empty beach.

"Well that takes the fun out of things," Kayla muttered, rising to her feet. The hunter landed beside her and chirped his agreement while sheathing his wristblades.

"Afraid of you."

"Me?" Her incredulous eyes met his. "You're the 'mighty space hunter'."

Kh'aan poked her skull as they walked around the bend. "You killed it."

"No, you did."

"You."

"Dammit, Kh'aan!"

Kayla lashed out with a foot aiming a sound kick at his rear, but Kh'aan dashed forward and ran down the beach. She howled at the top of her lungs and tore after him but the hunter had too big of a head start. The human stopped running and sat down, forcing her companion to come back.

"Why stop?"

She grunted. "I'm not chasing you all the way around the island. For the moment I'd rather just sit here and take in the scenery. Run if you like."

Kh'aan chuckled and moved to sit next to her when he saw a light, sand-colored mound almost directly behind the human. A brief internal argument started to brew in his mind, but as she started to lie back in the sand his decision was made. Kayla yelped when the hunter suddenly grasped the back of her neck and pulled her to her feet.

"Hey, what gives?" Once her feet were on the ground the marine spun around to glare up at him. Kh'aan took a step back and pointed to the pile. He barely caught the light scent, which meant that she probably could not smell it at all.

"What oomans call…'poop'."

Kayla's narrow eyes widened and snapped down to the mound. She had to stare for a moment to clearly see anything more than sand, but sure enough there was a roughly foot-wide pile of waste on the beach, and she'd been about to lay back in it. The human frantically spun in place, and her newly-educated eyes noticed that the entire beach was dotted with similar piles.

"Oh that's just great. And you were running across the beach too…check your feet!"

The hunter snorted for a moment before he truly noticed the consistency of what was between his toes. A low growl rumbled through him and he slogged down to the water, trudging back and forth through the surf while curling his claws into the sand. Kayla joined him trying very hard not to laugh.

"Thanks for that, but what do you say we stick to the waterline, hmm?"

Kh'aan snarled and ground his foot into the wet sand, trying to dislodge a particularly stubborn smear. "Agree."

Though glad that they did not need to fight their way through dozens of beach beasts, it was clear that this side of the island was used by the creatures on a regular basis. They made a note to avoid the area, and swiftly continued on their way. Further down the beach Kayla stopped, a frown crossing her face as she looked up and down the shore. The hunter turned to wait for her and wondered why her mood had suddenly changed.

Kayla gnawed her lip, hating to admit to a mistake. "Um, I think I was wrong earlier."

"What wrong?" Kh'aan chittered lightly and spoke again. "What. Were. You. Wrong. About?"

Kayla smiled at his effort before it faded back to a frown. "I think I grossly overestimated this island from orbit. I thought that the shoreline looked to be about a mile on each side, but we're nearly across and I know we haven't walked half a mile." She huffed out a breath, blowing her hair up and away from her face. "I've never had to estimate distance from orbit before. I was so wrong. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter anyway."

Kh'aan heard the disappointment in her voice and lightly patted her shoulder. "Does matter. Come."

He turned and led the way back down the beach to their starting point. He knew it was a waste of time to retrace their steps, but not only did he want to alleviate his companion's feelings of failure, he also acknowledged that it would be useful to know the dimensions of their home. Once they reached the outcropping of rocks, Kh'aan turned to her.

"You count steps."

"Why me?" She countered. "You have a longer stride."

"Oomans count with 'feet'. Yautja do not. You count."

Kayla hid a laugh and nodded. "Say when."

Kh'aan activated his computer to record their movement, but it sputtered and died almost immediately. _Pauk! _"Go."

The human began the long march down the waterline, trying to keep her pace even while counting. Behind her she heard the hunter growling quietly. _I bet his computer is out of juice. Tech-less hunter not a happy boy._ She nearly lost count and focused on the task at hand.

Kh'aan passed the marine and her slow pace, stopping to wait at the opposite end. He glanced up from tinkering with the power source when she approached.

"Five hundred eighty-five, Five hundred eighty-six, Five hundred eighty-seven. Well, that's roughly 600 meters or so. A mile is about 1600…so it's less than half a mile." She glanced back and sighed. "I was way off."

Kh'aan chuckled and ruffled his talons through her hair. "Five. Hun…dred. Ate..ee. Seven. Steps. Good to know."

########

They traveled quickly along the next beach. It was less of a beach than a narrow strip of sand wedged between towering spires of stone. On their right the outside of the volcano rose in jagged formations. Along the waterline on their left, they could not agree on what caused the row of broken stones that jutted from the sand. Kayla thought that perhaps part of the crown had fallen from the volcano and then been buried by more sand, while Kh'aan was certain that the volcano's outer wall extended beneath their feet, and the strip of sand had simply accumulated over time. The ominous sensation of passing between two towering walls of stone seemed to be universal, however, and they skipped measuring to cross the beach as quickly as possible.

They reached the third corner of the island and paused to take stock. The sand came to an abrupt stop against the mountain, and it appeared that they would have to climb the rocks to get around the bend. To Kh'aan it did not seem very difficult, but he was used to climbing strange surfaces with relative ease. Kayla's apprehension was written all over her face as she stared at the smooth stone spikes that the hunter expected her to cross.

"I'm not a mountain goat, you know. I can't just hop from rock to rock without a care in the world." She heard the hunter snort and held up a hand. "Just give me a minute. I'll think of something."

"Carry you?"

"Hell no! I'm not some helpless weakling!" Kayla bristled at the thought and peered intently at the obstacle she now faced. _I could swim it…if the whale-things aren't around._

Kh'aan was debating whether to sling her over his shoulder when the marine walked over and shoved a pack into his hands. "I think I can swim it. Here, you take the food."

"Not safe."

Kayla grunted. "What is? I'll be ok."

The hunter growled while attaching the ration pack to his belt. Before he could protest further, she slogged into the water and swam away from the ridge. Kh'aan grumbled, growing more uncomfortable with the situation the further she got from shore. _I do not like this._

Kayla paused to test the current. It flowed smoothly around the bend, though it was not strong, and she allowed it to push her closer to the rocks. Kh'aan was still standing on the sand, and she waved him onward. "The current isn't strong, and it's going in the right direction. I should be good. Get going!"

The hunter watched her start to take long strokes back away from the stones. She reached a safe distance and then turned with the current; her speed increased almost immediately. He scaled the stones quickly, intent on reaching a vantage that would allow him to keep an eye on her. The volcanic rock was sharp and surprisingly smooth, and it took all of his skill to keep from sliding down and becoming impaled on the spires below. Finally he reached a point from which he could see the far shore, and to his dismay the stone extended further than they thought. Kh'aan perched securely between two spires and called across the water.

"Kayla!" When her head popped up he pointed around the bend. "Is far!"

"Got it! Keep going!"

The hunter snorted and stayed where he was. _Not until you reach the sand._ His eyes remained trained on the human, who at the moment resembled more of a fish. Her strokes were strong and powerful, and he wondered if all humans were capable swimmers, or if this was another skill honed by her training. In his scrutiny it took him a moment to realize that not only had she passed him, but she was much further from land than she should be. _The current is taking her out to sea!_

"KAYLA!" The human's head popped up again, and before he could tell her to come closer he heard her swear. She immediately turned toward the shore, and it was obvious that the current was difficult to swim across.

With his eyes locked on her, the hunter nearly missed a shadow approaching from behind the swimming human. It was large beneath the water, and at the rate it was moving it would overcome her before she reached the shore. Kh'aan climbed forward on the spires until he could go no further without falling.

"KAYLA!"

"For gods sake, what?" She saw him point behind her, and there was an unusual trace of fear in his tone.

"SWIM FAST!"

She hazarded a glance over her shoulder just in time to see two parallel fins split the surface before submerging again. _Oh fuck!_ She ducked her head and willed strength into her tired limbs. She trained her eyes below to watch for land, and occasionally Kh'aan's voice reached her urging her to hurry.

The hunter scrambled across the rocks, cutting his hands and feet in his haste to reach the sand. The beast's fins cut through the surface again and he could tell that it was even larger than the beach creatures. Panic raced up his spine as it drew closer to his companion, and when his feet hit the sand he rushed to the water's edge, forgetfully yelling in Yautja for her to hurry.

Through the water passing her ears and blood pounding through them, Kayla heard Kh'aan's shrill chirps and whistles. _No time, NO TIME!_ Knowing that she could not swim faster than a fish, she suddenly took a deep breath and dove beneath the surface. She turned around to see a gigantic shark-like creature bearing down on her. She could not see much of its body, but its mouth was nearly as wide as the beach beast from head to tail, and at the hinge of its jaws sat two appendages, like giant pincers to hold its meal prisoner. The enormous maw gaped open and she felt it draw her forward. On a whim, the human took a reckless chance. She hovered in place as it approached, and at the last minute used all of her strength to push herself deeper in the water. The beast passed within inches of her head and she quickly drew a knife, holding over her head with both hands. It cut smoothly through the creature's thin skin and opened a long gash in its belly, but she was forced to let go when the blade caught on bone and nearly dislocated her shoulders.

Kh'aan felt his heart skip several beats when the human went under, and he did not think twice before charging into the water. He swam toward her begging Paya to give him speed, but he suddenly stopped when he saw her maneuver beneath the beast and slice its underside with one of her daggers. The beast let out a roar that echoed through the water, and it abruptly rolled away from his companion and quickly retreated.

Kayla surfaced breathing heavily. Her arms felt like lead, but she managed to tread water as she watched the creature swim away. A sound from behind made her spin around, and she was immediately engulfed by the hunter's heavy arm.

"Hey!"

Kh'aan ignored her protests and hauled the human back to the shore. His heart would not stop racing even as he marched up onto the sand, and he abruptly dropped her on her feet with a harsh snarl. Kayla winced when he roughly grasped her jaw, turning her from side to side and frantically checking for injuries.

"Hey…Kh'aan…ow! Watch it!"

The hunter locked her in his gaze and she quickly shut her mouth. She had never seen such open emotion in his eyes, though she could not quite place it, and she did her best not to flinch. His claws nicked her skin as he turned her head, and she felt a tremble in his fingers. Then as quickly as it began he released her.

Kh'aan could not contain himself long enough to form a coherent thought. Though she stood before him unharmed, an image of her locked in the creature's teeth would not leave his mind. He thought briefly of tethering her to his side again, and then huffed in exasperation.

"Next. Time. I. **Will**. Carry. You."

His tone left no room for argument and the human could only nod. He turned and stormed down the beach, and she followed at a reluctant distance. The shore was shorter on this side and they reached the bend quickly, but Kh'aan marched around the outcropping without looking back. Kayla felt remorse creeping up her spine, but she pushed it back down. _I didn't do anything wrong. I saw him climbing…he could never have carried me __and__ maintained his balance. __**Then why is he so pissed off? **_As she rounded the bend she saw the hunter waiting at the pass, and the human squared her shoulders. _This is no place for a grudge. Suck it up, kid. Be the adult._

Kh'aan could not stand the blatant fear coursing through his veins like freezing water. _**Such concern for an inferior creature.**__ She is not inferior, and I am not concerned. __**Lying to yourself now? Then why are your hands shaking?**_ Kh'aan snorted and came to a halt in the pass. He ground the argument out of his mind with every bit of logic that he could muster. Kayla was alive, and that was all that mattered. He glanced up as she approached, and her expression was a mixture of confusion and determination. Their gazes locked in fierce battle for several moments before the human's frown softened.

"Last one back gets firewood?"

Kh'aan snorted, his fingers itching to ruffle her hair. In his split second of indecision Kayla dashed around him, and he snarled before giving chase. The human's scent radiated her fatigue, but rather than breeze past her he took intermittent swipes at her head and kicks at her feet. Kayla knew that he wasn't really serious, but she ducked and dodged anyway. As they passed the pond Kh'aan suddenly veered off into the jungle and the human stopped with a frown on her face.

"You let me win, you jerk!"

Kh'aan chuckled and proceeded down a side path to gather some wood for the fire. Once his arms were full he trudged down into the cave, the urge to collapse winning him over. A loud snore echoed from the shadows, and he dropped the wood before shuffling back to the human's nest. Kayla was sprawled on her back, one arm stretched out to the side and the other draped across her face. His head cocked to the side while he watched her, and then the hunter nudged her hip with his foot. Kayla groaned and rolled to her side, curling up in a ball. The infernal snoring stopped immediately, and Kh'aan took the opportunity to collapse into his own nest before she started up again. His mandibles twitched into a smile as oblivion swallowed him.

########

_The females pulled at his arms, jostling each other in an effort to mount the proud warrior. As much as he enjoyed being the center of their attention, he feared that he might lose a limb if they did not settle down. Their scent washed over him, filling his senses with such sweet ecstasy that he could barely think straight. Yet, it was an unusual smell…not familiar even though it elicited a well-known response. He begged Paya to make them choose – this waiting was killing him, and he felt like he would explode from longing. They growled and bared their teeth at each other as they swarmed around his eager body. The hunter bucked in their grip, desperate to be free if they could not get on with it. Suddenly the scent flared, blinding him in its saturating thickness. If he didn't mate soon he just might die…_

Kh'aan awoke with a start, the throbbing in his loins impossible to ignore. He tried to shake off the remnants of such a stimulating dream, but the unrelenting scent remained. Any attempt to breath cleaner air only flooded him with more of the tantalizing aroma. He managed to rise to his knees and crawled out of his nest. The moment he passed the pile of furs he was bowled over, and realized right away that the smell was coming from the human. Before he knew it, he was leaning over her nest breathing deeply. _What is this scent? __**Get away! Back away now!**__ But…her scent…so…strong…_

Kayla eased out of sleep feeling a knot in her abdomen._ What did I eat yesterday?_ As she curled into a tighter ball, she was suddenly aware of heavy breathing very close by. Her eyes snapped open to see Kh'aan hovering above her nest, a strange look in his eye that gave her the chills.

"Kh'aan, what's wrong?"

The hunter snarled and tried to grab her wrist, but she scrambled to her feet and dashed around him. "What the hell are you doing?" At the same moment her abdomen clenched again.

Kh'aan's voice was strained. "Why you smell?"

"Ha! What kind of question is…" She yelped and dashed out to the fire when he lunged at her. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

The hunter snarled, stalking into the circle of firelight. "Your scent. Is strong. WHY?"

Kayla was about to retort when she felt another cramp. _Oh shit! _"Uh…I don't think that's a good idea."

"MUST KNOW!"

"Trust me…you don't want…"

"TELL ME!" It took everything he had to keep the hearth between them. She was standing directly in the path of the incoming breeze, and his senses were on fire. "Tell. Me. Or. I. May. Hurt. You."

Kayla gulped, and the words flowed forth on a wave of fear. "Human females are able to reproduce at any time. Their bodies are always prepared. As part of this cycle, their pheromones - their scents - grow stronger as the body sheds old material for new. This is a natural function that occurs in all human females. As a female soldier, I was given standard injections to stop this process. **I missed my last shot**."

Kh'aan's glowing eyes filled her with more fear than she'd felt in a long time, and his breathing was so heavy that she could hear it over the breeze blowing past her ears. The human quickly grabbed a water jug and ration pack before backing up the ramp.

"I've gotta go. I…I'll be back in a few days."

Before the hunter could blink, she turned and ran up the ramp. Kh'aan's entire body shook with the effort to stay put, and Kayla was halfway past the pond when his roar erupted from the cave, echoing from the peaks like thunder.

####

AN: R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&...uh...how many is that? Anyway, hope you enjoy! -da Cap'n


	31. Chapter 31

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 31 - Knotted_

########

Kayla had been running for hours, the hunter chasing her as relentless as the pain in her abdomen. For the moment she was thankful of his blind pursuit; if he had paused to think, he might have gathered his mask and made it impossible for her to evade him. Even as she changed direction to remain on some sort of downwind course, her mind argued over the current state of her companion. _If he catches you he'll tear you apart._ _**But he's my friend. Surely he realizes that**_**.** _Then stop running and find out exactly how together he is. __**He wouldn't…he would **__**not**__** rape me**__. Alien…predator…giant monstrous bad guy? What do you think? __**He's not a bad guy…**_

Suddenly another agonizing wave of spasms rippled through her abdomen and knocked the marine to her knees. It felt like someone had taken her insides and twisted them up in a tourniquet. Kayla took several deep breaths, but the movement only served to intensify the pain. _What the hell? I don't remember it ever being this strong. It's been at least ten years…what is there to release?_ She clenched her teeth and heaved to her feet, leaning on a tree for leverage. The rolling, knotting maelstrom was all encompassing, and her knees felt like jelly as she staggered through the jungle. _Oh god…what's happening?_

Blinding stars crossed her vision and Kayla stumbled into another tree, her breath coming in gasps. _Pull it together! You're still too exposed out here. Kh'aan will… _Abruptly the hunter's roar echoed through the trees sounding much too close for comfort. The marine dropped to the ground and tried to crawl into the underbrush, but searing pain lanced through her frame like a thousand knives. Kayla wailed as her muscles clenched and rolled again. The pain was too much to bear for the former-soldier, and she curled up in a ball against the onslaught when another tide of fire surged through every muscle below her waist. The human shook violently as she felt her insides being torn apart, and could not stop the scream that ripped from her throat.

########

Kh'aan tore through the trees, blind lust lending power to his feet even as he tried in vain to stop hunting his companion. The argument had become one-sided almost as soon as it began; the primal urge was too fierce to ignore, and her tantalizing scent was throwing his reason into turmoil. _Find the female! __**No! I will not harm her.**__ Who said anything about harm? She may survive. __**That is not the point. Kayla is my friend. **_

Suddenly his keen hearing picked up a strange sound on the wind. He almost thought that it was the marine, but it was a pained sound and much too high to come from the human. Mere seconds later a gust of wind crossed his path, saturated with her scent and coming from the direction of the sound. Kh'aan roared and charged off before he could form another thought. Another cry echoed through the trees, and he could barely contain himself when he burst through the foliage to see his quarry on the ground. The hunter stalked forward flexing his fingers, and he took deep breaths of her scent in the air. _Such a delicious aroma…to revel in such succulent flesh! __**NO! I WILL NOT! I would never take her against her will!**__ Of course not, that is why you hunt her._

Kayla glanced up through her pain to see a blurry outline of the hunter. Her blood ran cold and she scrambled back as fast as she could crawl. "I'm your friend! Kh'aan…please…I'm your friend…" She reached for the knife on her thigh, but another surge of pain rolled through her body and her fingers lost their strength. "Please…K…Kh'aan…don…don't…don't dddd…do this!"

Kh'aan was lost in another deep breath of Kayla's scent when the human suddenly wailed painfully, the sound identical to what he'd heard before. The tension in his body lessened only to be replaced with abject fear as he watched her writhe on the ground, and after another glance the hunter turned and raced back into the jungle.

########

Kayla's vision was blinded by stars as waves of agony ripped through her body. She was vaguely aware of heavy footsteps growing distant, and after several forced breaths managed to squint at the jungle. Kh'aan was nowhere to be seen, and she gritted her teeth before rising to her knees. The prevailing thought in her mind was to hide, but she snorted at the futility of that idea. _His sense of smell makes hiding pointless. I need another kni…_

The pain in her lower body suddenly spiked one hundred-fold. She fell to the ground again as white hot blades gouged into her abdomen in rapid succession. It was like nothing she'd ever felt, and she briefly wondered why there had been no warning of the withdrawal effects of the injections. Pain raced around her stomach, across her back and directly up her spine, sending the marine into intense convulsions. She felt as though she were being disemboweled, and for a brief moment prayed that Kh'aan _would_ kill her.

"OH GOD! MAKE IT STOP! _MAKE IT STOP!"_

########

Kh'aan could not run fast enough. With every step he growled at his own weakness and willed more power into his legs. _She is in extreme pain and all I can focus on is…I will not think about it again. __**Perhaps later.**__ No! I will never do that to her. Never! She is my ally and comrade. __**But she **__**is**__** female.**__ She is an honored warrior, regardless of her gender. I will not dishonor her...or myself._

The hunter snorted away the pointless debate as he skidded down into the cave. The human's scent barely fazed him as he raced back to his nest. He rummaged through the stacked technical items growing more frustrated by the second, and then his eyes rested on a glint of metal peeking out from under his furs. Kh'aan snatched up the mask and raced out of the cave. Though his computer did not have enough power to enable all of the features, the mask had an independent power source for the air filter and was equipped with a few items that were still useful. At the same time that he snapped it on, his denied urges growled. _**This would have shortened the hunt.**_

Kh'aan ignored the annoying voice and hurried back through the jungle. He reached the spot where he'd found Kayla but she was no longer there, and he spun around in place chittering nervously. In his frenzy he nearly missed the foot sticking out from under a bush, but once spotted he grabbed the appendage and pulled. Kayla slid out of the hiding spot with a pained cry, and the hunter quickly leaned back out of her reach when she swung her knife in his direction. He snatched away the weapon and grasped her flailing arms, but the human would not be taken without a fight.

"Let go! I'm your friend! Get away from me!"

"Kayla! Will not hurt you! Stop!"

Suddenly the human shrieked and curled into a tight ball, and in their proximity Kh'aan felt a violent tremor course through her body. Without another thought he picked her up and hurried back toward the cave. Kayla fought his hold as best she could, but her resistance was short lived when her movements started to exacerbate the pain. She went rigid in his arms for several seconds before a shudder shook her from head to toe.

"OH GOD! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?" She raised her watery gaze to his mask. "It was never like this! It's not supposed to be like…" The marine moaned and tried to become as small as possible to alleviate the pain.

Kh'aan was beside himself with worry, his eyes riveted to her face as though he could will away her pain with his mind. He swore that he would never forgive himself for putting her in danger, so blinded by his instincts that he completely disregarded her well being. The human cried pitifully, her features contorted in pain, and the hunter leaned forward to brush his masked face against her hair while a deep purr rumbled through him. Kayla curled into his chest as another wave of tremors ripped through her abdomen.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry…I didn't know…oh god! I would have told you! I'm so sorry!" Her muffled voice was filled with pain and remorse, and Kh'aan tightened his hold and awkwardly ruffled his talons through her hair.

"**There is no need to be sorry, my friend. It is I who owe you so many apologies. We are almost there."**

The hunter chose that moment to look up at where they were going, and ran directly into a tree limb. His momentum and their combined weight turned the simple branch into an immovable object, and after staggering forward two more steps the hunter reeled on his feet and tipped backwards.

Kayla gasped and ducked her head into Kh'aan's chest when she realized that he was falling. Kh'aan hit the ground with enough force to shake the trees around them, and the impact echoed faintly before silence returned. The human winced at the pain in her jaw from her teeth rattling together, and she looked up at the dented, mangled mask on the hunter's face. _Oh no! No, no, no!_

"Kh'aan?"

When it was certain that he was out cold, Kayla wormed out of his slack grip and crawled away from the unconscious behemoth. She wondered whether to hide or try to wake him up, and neither sounded very promising. Her debate ended when the ground rumbled beneath her. A quick glance back at her companion showed that he hadn't moved, and yet again a vibration rattled up through her knees and elbows. The human's instincts were screaming 'danger', and she had just decided to try to wake up the hunter when the ground rumbled again and a split opened up beneath his legs. At first she feared that it was some sort of quake and scrambled forward to try to move him away. But as she reached the widening hole, the first thing the marine noticed was the foul stench, and then she saw the teeth.

"Holy shit! Kh'aan! Wake up!"

Her pain momentarily ignored, Kayla grabbed the hunter under his shoulders and tried to pull him away from the enormous mouth. _You overgrown lug! So damn big you alerted Grampa Worm! _

"WAKE UP!"

The ground rumbled again, and then broke apart in a short jagged line through the trees as more of the worm surfaced. It was twice Kh'aan's length but its teeth appeared brittle, and as she watched they folded back out of the way of its meal. The human shook amazement out of her system when the hunter began to sink into the gaping mouth. She crawled over his chest and viciously slapped his face, but she only managed to cut her hands on the rough barbs around his eyes.

"KH'AAN, DAMN YOU! WAKE UP!"

Out of options, she scrambled forward and grabbed both blades from his belt - hers and his - before his lower body disappeared into the worm's mouth. _I hope you get indigestion, you bastard! _She grasped the blades in both hands and, riding a surge of pain from her abdomen, brought them down into the worms 'head'. A muffled shriek came from beneath the dirt and the creature abruptly swallowed more of the hunter.

"NO!" Kayla watched horrified as her companion disappeared up to his chest. She fell on the worm like a demon possessed, driving the daggers into its body over and over again while trying to keep her legs wrapped around Kh'aan's remaining free arm. With her body stretched like it was her pelvis screamed in agony, but the marine tried to ignore the pain and instead channeled it into her attack.

Suddenly the worm shrieked again and rolled over, enveloping the hunter completely. The human felt despair weaken her arms, but she refused to give up.

"SPIT HIM OUT YOU OVERGROWN SLUG! Trust me, he is not a good meal!" She drove the daggers into the worm in rapid succession, 'walking' up its back with each strike. "Kh'aan goddammit WAKE UP!"

As she raised her arms again, a surge of pain gouged through her abdomen. The human crumpled under the strain and the daggers fell harshly into the worm's body. Rather than sinking into its soft flesh they hit something solid, and Kayla heard a muffled roar from within the creature. A moment later a massive fist punched through its hide mere inches from her chest, and she rolled away just as Kh'aan tore a hole in the worm and rose to his feet. The hunter shook out his tresses and gazed at the carcass before letting out a deafening roar, his head thrown back and arms extended as though in victory. He kicked the worm angrily and then reached over his shoulder with a growl, prodding at the bloody gash from her knife. Fear over his current mental state raced through Kayla's veins, and she scooted backwards as fast as she could.

Kh'aan noticed movement and his eyes snapped to the human. For a moment it appeared as though he had forgotten about his change of heart, but then he let out a rough snarl and carefully approached her.

"Kayla?"

Her eyes gave away her fear, and the human did not hesitate to get to the point. "Are you you?

He snorted before kneeling at her side. A low purr rumbled through him as he gently scooped her up from the ground. "Yes."

It was all the reassurance she needed, but before they could head for the cave the pond began to churn. Kayla shuddered and growled. "Damn, they smell the worm. We should get out of here."

Kh'aan did not need to be told twice. He turned back toward the pass, and while carefully watching his course beat a hasty retreat before the pond lizards swarmed over the dead worm. Once in the trees he slowed down to reduce the jostling effect of carrying Kayla. She was curled into a tight ball against his chest, but tremors rippled through her constantly and he feared that he might be causing more pain. Without a module he was less than confident that he could help her.

Kayla heard him growl and looked up as they reached the pass. "What? What is it?"

"Am fine," he reassured her. _Please do not fear me. I am alright now…I hope. _"Do not know…how to help you."

She gave him a strange look and was about to ask why he expected to when the hunter marched directly into the ocean.

"Hey!"

Kh'aan snorted. "Smell like worm too." Kayla pouted but kept her mouth shut. He dunked them quickly and then placed her on the sand before returning to the water. They heard intermittent snarls echoing from the valley, accompanied by the occasional snap of what they assumed was bone. The sound rattled the marine's already frazzled nerves, lending more tension to the rolling turmoil in her body. She glanced up as the hunter approached and opened her mouth to speak, but another spasm ricocheted through her.

Kh'aan shook the water from his tresses, growling at the lingering stench of worm. _It is settled. They are inedible._ The thought made him chuckle, and he turned to share the joke with Kayla when she cried out again and snapped forward to grip her stomach.

"Why does it hurt so much? What the fuck did they do to me?" Her words were punctuated by harsh gasps, and she curled her knees up to her chest in an effort to stifle the wrenching cramps. Kh'aan sat next to her and pulled the human into his lap. She trembled violently and her temperature around her abdomen was white hot. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and silently begged Paya for advice. A moment later Kh'aan was surprised to feel wetness on his chest…Kayla was crying. Any attempt by his instincts to regain control was shattered with the realization that, soldier or not, she was in enough pain to show such weakness. After a few more minutes he carefully rose to his feet and walked back into the valley. He had to forcefully keep his eyes straight ahead rather than on her, and he took an indirect route back to the cave in order to avoid the dead worm.

########

Their march seemed to take forever, and Kayla's pain tripled as they went. She could barely breathe through her gasping cries, but Kh'aan did not want to run while carrying her. Finally they came through the trees to the wall of the volcano. The hunter turned right and minutes later they emerged by the pond. The pond creatures were swarming over the carcass at the opposite end, and Kh'aan carefully eased along the bushes until he reached the path through. He backed through the foliage with his eyes locked on the distant feast, and only when he felt the slope of the ramp beneath his feet did he turn around. He hurried back to Kayla's nest, and once released she seemed to fold in on herself – one arm crossed her abdomen, and the other held her legs so tightly that her knees pressed against her forehead. She rocked slightly in her prone position, and the constant groan that escaped her lips ripped through Kh'aan like blades.

"**How can I help you? I do not understand human physiology well enough to treat you. Pauk! Mr'aal would know what to do."** He paced away to the fire to think, but another cry from the human had him by her side in a heartbeat.

Kayla could not take the pain anymore. It was a constant tearing sensation that rippled through every muscle in her body, radiating out from her abdomen in heavy waves. Vaguely she noticed Kh'aan's presence and raised her squinting eyes to his.

"Knock me out."

Her request surprised the hunter and he immediately shook his head. "No."

"Please, Kh'aan…I can't take this anymore…please! KNOCK ME OUT!"

The hunter shuddered as he brushed her hair from her eyes. "Will never harm you, Kayla."

"Dammit, Kh'aan, I'm begging you!"

"NO!"

He didn't realize how serious she was until her fist slammed into his jaw, the blow strengthened by her pain. He felt his teeth gouge into the flesh of his mouth and his mandibles jarred from the force. Before he knew what he was doing, his right arm swung forward and he backhanded the suffering human. He rolled his jaw until the sting faded, and then carefully covered his unconscious companion with a fur.

"**You should not have done that. I hope you will forgive me."**

########

The next few days passed slowly for the nursemaid-hunter. Kayla remained asleep, although her body constantly trembled from the force of the spasms in her abdomen. Kh'aan tried every item in their medical supplies, but nothing seemed to help her and he grew furious at her superiors. _I hope you were all incinerated along with your experiments._ His contempt for the human species grew by leaps and bounds as he watched her suffer, and the thought of losing her to this madness flitted frequently through his mind. He awoke from his second attempt at sleep to hear her crying, and scrambled to her nest to see the human writhing in her furs.

"Bastards! Why won't it stop! Why didn't they tell us? Oh god! Somebody shoot me!"

Kh'aan took a step forward and then stopped, a remote idea forming in his mind. He raced to their food supplies, and after an extended search found what he needed. His patience ran thin waiting by the fire, but finally it was ready and he hurried back to the female.

Kayla felt the hunter beside her but could not focus through the pain. His hands settled on her shoulder and knees, and she was horrified when he tried to pry her out of her crumpled ball.

"No! Please! It hurts too much! Don't!"

"Lay flat. Trust me."

She struggled against him, loathe to feel the searing fire of stretching out flat, but the hunter was too strong. After a few moments she finally gave in, squeezing her eyes shut. Kh'aan picked up the pouch and very carefully rested it on her lower abdomen. Kayla's eyes shot open immediately as soothing heat circulated through her muscles.

"Wha...what is this?" She glanced down to see a large steaming pouch on her stomach; she recognized it as the skin that insulated the water jugs. "Did you…how?"

Kh'aan purred and brushed his thumb across her forehead. "Help-ing?"

The human groaned deeply. "You have no idea! What…where…how did you come up with a hot water bottle?"

"Sore muscle, hot bath. Hot water." His shoulders shifted in a light shrug. "It. Was. Worth. A. Shot."

"Kh'aan," she met his gaze and smiled for the first time in nearly a week. "I think I love you. Thank you."

After a few more moments getting comfortable, Kayla's eyes closed and she drifted to sleep. Kh'aan watched her to be certain that she would be comfortable. _I cannot believe that I was considering mating with her…pauk…it would not have been mating, it would have been slaughter. I swear that I will never threaten you in such a way ever again. I should heat more water… _The hunter's train of thought trailed off and he fell asleep as well, curled up on his side facing the human with his talons inches from her hair.

He awoke some time later to reheat the water pouch, and was surprised to find her awake when he returned. Kh'aan insisted that she return to sleep and though frustrated at being an invalid, Kayla relented on the condition that he wake her if anything happened.

"What happen here?"

"I don't know…anything. Just…wake me up, ok?"

"Silly ooman."

"Stubborn ox."

"Mool."

"Nag! Wait…did you just call me a mule?"

"Sleep."

"I don't wanna!"

"Sleep now."

"Don't go too far, ok?"

"Ok. Sleep."

"Oh alright. And Kh'aan?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

########

AN: Greetings peoples. Hope you enjoy. Now how many of you were hoping for nookie? Ahahahahaha! Of what speaketh thou? This is quality family entertainment, complete with graboids and nursemaids with tusks! "Ain't no way Wang'll get his slick mitts on this for no 20 bucks!" "Got that right!" "No sign, no spoor…you'd think after eating Edgar's sheep the thing would have to take a dump someplace." "Thanks for everything…y'know, saving my life 'n stuff."

Hugs from da Cap'n!


	32. Chapter 32

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 32 – The Home Front_

The door hissed shut and the final body crammed into the tiny room. The resolve of the crew had all but run out over the course of the week, and Shl'nar had requested that they meet in the maintenance tubes for the express shuttles. They were the only place that he knew of that was not under constant surveillance. With Mr'aal grumbling and Ti'nuk's elbow in his spine, the aide took another deep breath before opening the panel into the tube.

"It is clear."

The crew members sighed in relief as they filed out of the access hatch onto the platform. Below them the shuttle tubes extended to the left and right, and occasionally a blur passed as they zipped along their course. The five males got as comfortable as they could and then all attention focused on the aide. Shl'nar took one last glance around before he too sat down on the platform.

"I had so many things that I wished to discuss with you, but now I cannot think of how to begin."

Mr'aal glanced at the others before taking the initiative. "I believe I do." He sat up straight and his mandibles tapped restlessly before he began. "I am sorry to say that I have failed you all."

Their eyes snapped to the old healer, and he continued before they could comment. "I regret to inform you that I have revealed our adventure to…someone that I trust…my First Mate." He kept his eyes to the ground and his shame radiated in waves. "She visited me in the healer's guild, and managed to keep them from performing what I knew to be unnecessary tests. As thanks, I…told her everything. She is surprisingly sympathetic to our plight and has sworn to keep our secret safe, but I thought it best to inform you. I hope you will forgive me."

The healer's words flowed through them like a soothing tide, and to his surprise they all chuckled quietly.

"It appears that you have had an interesting week as well, old friend." Shl'nar snorted and rested a hand on Mr'aal's shoulder. "You are more than forgiven. You have given me the strength to admit to my own confession."

"You?" Their eyes turned to the aide in shock. Shl'nar nodded and his skin darkened in embarrassment.

"Yes. Though I swore you all to secrecy, even I could not hold onto such an exciting tale. I have been tied in knots for the past week trying to keep this to myself, and a trusted friend finally confronted me on my inconsistent moods. After a little too much c'tnlip I finally told her of our adventure."

The others groaned. "Another female," Fh'zaan grumbled. "Why can we not keep our mouths shut around them?"

"Because," Sin'kaj interjected, "they will beat us to a pulp."

They laughed in agreement before nodding for Shl'nar to continue. The aide hissed lightly at the insinuation. "I have never feared Mr'sah; we have known each other since we were granted our positions. But she was concerned that my behavior might interfere with my work, and thereby threaten my standing. I will be eternally grateful for her assistance."

Ti'nuk's eyes widened. "The aide to the Grand Matron? You told her?" His distrust was written all over his face, but Mr'aal spoke up for the young assistant.

"Mr'sah is more honorable than most Yautja that I have known. There is a reason that she has been the Grand Matron's personal attaché for so many years, and at such a young age." He did not mention his pride in the youngest female of his line, but they could see it in his eyes.

"As it stands," Shl'nar continued, "she will tell no one, 'not even the Grand Matron or may Cetanu take me'…those were her words. She has given me good insight into our current troubles, and has offered her assistance to us."

Their concern did not fade, but the confession could not be revoked. After a nudge from Fh'zan, Ti'nuk nodded his acceptance, but his eyes widened a moment later when the engineer spoke.

"We were forced to confess to Guild Lord Ha'fen."

The pilot growled and looked away across the shuttle tube, and Fh'zaan continued before Shl'nar could question.

"He retrieved the ships recorders and, due to his expertise, was able to piece together what we had tried so hard to disassemble. We thought that it was a simple meeting about our new assignments, until he opened our scans of the nebula."

"I should have known that he would see through our deception," Ti'nuk snarled. It was obvious that he still felt betrayed by their superior.

"He is Guild Lord for a very good reason, Ti'nuk." Fh'zaan fixed the pilot with a stern glare before continuing. "He asked us why we felt the need to alter the sensor records and diagnostic logs, and I thought that he was only concerned with the ships condition until he asked if it had been the Firstborn's idea. Then I knew that we were cornered."

Ti'nuk took up the tale. "As much as I do not believe him, Lord Ha'fen seemed very concerned that the Firstborn was…how did he put it…'out of harm's way'. By the time we had finished explaining things to him, his demeanor had brightened considerably, and before our eyes he incinerated the data logs."

Shl'nar looked puzzled. "Incinerated them?"

"Yes." Fh'zaan nodded curtly. "He said 'These corrupted logs could compromise the database.' As we were leaving he told us to report to him if we encounter any 'problems'."

The aide glanced down the shuttle tube as another zipped by. "Are you certain that he will not share this information? Is it possible that he copied the logs?"

The pilot snorted. "The excitement in his eyes as we recounted our adventure tells me that he wishes he had come along."

Fh'zaan laughed in agreement. "Yes. I believe that as long as we keep him informed, he will remain silent about what he knows."

The others sighed, both in relief and trepidation. Everything hinged on keeping Kh'aan and Kayla's location a secret, and one simple slip could have their entire plan crumbling around them. Shl'nar's mandibles tapped in thought and then his eyes rested on the apprentice, who seemed to shrink under his gaze.

"And what about you, Sin'kaj? Are you the only one who has been able to honor our vow of silence?"

The young engineer jumped when the aide addressed him directly. His eyes flitted between his comrades rapidly, and the sharp musk of fear flowed from his pores. Fh'zaan nudged him firmly with an elbow.

"Well?"

Sin'kaj dropped his gaze to the platform, wishing that he did not have to tell them of his failure. "I told no one. I…she…"

"Agh…another female." Fh'zaan growled and spat over the railing.

Mr'aal nudged him and his brow furrowed. "That is disgusting."

The apprentice hoped that they would forget that he was speaking, but after a round of chuckles at the master engineer's expense, their attention refocused on him. "Go on, Sin'kaj."

Unable to avoid their stares, the young engineer took a deep breath and began again.

########

"I was leaving Lord Ha'fen's offices. It must have been before you met with him, because he did not question me about any scans or data logs. He accepted our chosen story without inquiry, making me feel rather proud that I had maintained our secret. I was waiting for the express shuttle to return to my quarters, but when they opened the Grand Matron's aide was waiting inside. She sat next to me but did not say anything, and when the doors opened again she rose and motioned for me to follow.

I cannot tell you how fearful I was. I know who that female reports to, and meeting the Grand Matron was not something that I ever wanted to face. I hoped that she only wanted to give me something to pass to you, Master Fh'zaan. She took me through corridors that I had never seen before, and by the time we stopped before ornately carved doors, I was thoroughly lost. The aide left me standing alone, and it took every ounce of my will to remain instead of running like I wanted.

When the doors opened I nearly did flee. Do you know how tall the Grand Matron is? Have you ever seen her? She is enormous! I am certain that she could smell my fear through the door, and I almost ran right then. But…she is very…uh…"

Mr'aal chuckled. "Disarming?"

Fh'zaan grunted. "Imposing?"

Shl'nar snorted. "Unnerving?"

"Do you want me to tell you or not?" When they silenced their laughter the apprentice continued. "I meant to say that her demeanor is very compelling. I moved without telling my legs to walk. I sat without seeing the cushions. And when she spoke I knew that I had no choice but to comply.

…'Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice, Apprentice Sin'kaj. I had hoped to catch you before you returned to your duties.'

'I…am…at your disposal, Grand Matron.'

'There is no need to fear me,' she stated with a light laugh. 'Please, be comfortable here.'

I felt fixed to the spot by her very presence. I could barely breathe.

'I suppose you wonder why I have summoned you. I wish to talk with you a moment about your recent travels, if you would indulge me,'

What was I supposed to say? 'No, Grand Matron, I am sworn to secrecy.'? I held my tongue, but I am certain that she saw something that gave her an inkling of what I was hiding. She sat next to me…she smells of arnak blossoms, you know…and fixed me with those piercing golden eyes. I felt as though she could see the truth etched into my skin.

'I suspect that you have never been so far removed from the clan before. It must have been both frightening and exhilarating, yes?'

I met her eyes but said nothing…I refused to reveal our secret. But then she jumped directly to the point of her summons.

'You arrived home with an interesting trinket. May I see it?'"

Fh'zaan snarled. "I told you to hide that thing!"

"She must have seen it when you did!"

"Let him finish!" Shl'nar hissed.

The apprentice took a deep breath, his eyes glued to the grating. "My hand shook, but I could not stop it from revealing the gift that Kayla had given me. It was like she had placed a spell on me. She twirled the teeth in her hands as though trying to feel their origin. I nearly snatched them away again, but then she smiled.

'For something so primitive, the care placed into its craftsmanship is exquisite. Each tooth is perfectly distanced from the next, and they alternate in their placement. Have you noticed? She must think very highly of you to bestow such a gift.'"

"WHAT?" The others sat forward so abruptly that the platform shook. "How could she know?"

"May I finish, before I lose the will?

As I said, she seemed to know exactly what I was hiding, and even though I kept my mouth tightly shut, she found the answers to her questions. She peered at me intently for a long time, and then returned her attention to the necklace.

'I have been pondering whether my Firstborn has thrown his life away on a fool's quest, but this little thing seems to erase that thought from my mind. That any creature would go to such trouble for a complete stranger is a testament to their character, and such character would certainly be worth rescuing if unduly left to die.'

She fixed me with that inescapable gaze again, and in that moment I knew that she knew everything. She only wished to see if I would confirm her suspicions. But I remembered our promise to them. I am sure that I was shaking in my seat, but I said nothing. After an extended silence she handed the teeth back to me and I was dismissed."

The crew digested this revelation in silence for several minutes while the express shuttles whooshed by. Sin'kaj was certain that he had jeopardized their entire operation, and the guilt threatened to overwhelm him. He pulled the trinket out of its pouch and stared at it remorsefully. _I made a promise that I was unable to keep. I am not worthy of this. _He abruptly raised his arm to throw the teeth into the tube; Fh'zaan's hand on his wrist stopped him.

"You would never forgive yourself, Sin'kaj. Do not do that."

The apprentice grunted. "I already cannot. If they are discovered it will be my fault. She honored me with this gift and I am unworthy of it."

The others chimed in with Fh'zaan and tried to reason with the apprentice, but he was inconsolable until Shl'nar spoke up.

"You kept our secret, Sin'kaj, better than any of us could. If the Grand Matron had prior knowledge, that is no fault of yours. As you said, you maintained your silence. That is all that any of us wanted to do, and the fact that you succeeded where we failed makes us all very proud. She is wise beyond her years, and probably has methods that we cannot fathom. You are not at fault."

The young engineer met their gazes, and some of his tension dissipated. "If you believe so, I will try to agree with you. I freely admit that the Grand Matron terrifies me. I hope that I never have to face her again."

They nodded their agreement, but the aide chuckled. "If you think she is frightening, you should never meet High Elder Kh'alik. The Grand Matron is a gentle storm with deadly winds, but the High Elder is an imploding star."

########

Mr'sah rushed to the Grand Matron's chambers as fast as her feet would carry her. The regal female had summoned her in the middle of their sleep cycle, and the young aide did not want to keep her waiting any longer than necessary. She skidded to a stop outside of the Grand Matron's quarters, and raised her hand to activate the chime when the doors swung open.

Grand Matron Sh'aan stood there looking like an overworked slave. Her tresses were in disarray and she was still dressed in her sleeping garments. Her eyes seemed to disappear in their sockets, and Mr'sah wondered if she had slept at all. Sh'aan grasped her shoulder and quickly ushered her inside.

"Did anyone see you?"

Her question startled the aide and she turned around wearing a confused expression. "Not that I know of, Grand Matron. Most are asleep."

"Good. Please, sit. I have brewed some oknal tea. Help yourself." The Grant Matron turned and poked her head out into the corridor, peering for any observers before shutting the door and engaging the blood-key lock. She shuffled across the room and fell clumsily onto cushions gathered in the center of the floor. Surrounding her were data padds and star charts, ancient journals and crumbling scrolls, and the female began rifling through them.

"Where did I put it?"

Mr'sah eased down to the cushions warily. She had never witnessed her superior in such a state, and wondered if she was in her right mind. "What…what do you require of me, Grand Matron? How can I help?"

Sh'aan glanced up absently, a furrow between her eyes, before she grunted and returned her attention to the piles on the floor. "I require your sanity, Mr'sah. I am about to lose mine if I do not piece this puzzle together. AH!"

Her fingers delved beneath a stack of scrolls and pulled up a data padd. "Read through this and tell me what you think."

Mr'sah scanned over the information, and had to hide her shock when she realized that she was reading about Shl'nar's adventure with the Firstborn. As she perused through the information and noticed that some of the facts were either skewed or missing altogether, she realized that the Grand Matron was figuring things out on her own. Though relieved that she had revealed nothing, the aide still wondered where her superior had attained such information.

"What is this, Grand Matron? Have you heard from the Firstborn?" She hoped that her question seemed innocent.

"What? Oh no, I have not spoken to Kh'aan in a very long time. That is, for lack of a better term, speculation…my theories on what has happened to him. I think I am very close, but what I know is not corresponding with what I am discovering. Oh where is that book?"

She crawled across the floor on her knees, pushing items out of the way until she found an ancient-looking journal – the text was nearly worn away and the cover was barely connected. She flipped through several pages while muttering about teeth, and Mr'sah wondered if she had spoken to one of the crew. Her speculation was cut short when the Grand Matron dropped the heavy journal in her lap, and the assistant gaped at the page before her. Her eyes met a drawn image of a massive beast, complete with measurements. It had an enormous mouth full of teeth, and six short legs; it was identical to the creature that Shl'nar had described. The aide felt her heard drop into her feet. _She knows! _A separate drawing on the same page showed its teeth in great detail, and Sh'aan pointed to them.

"I have seen these teeth recently, which is why I believe that I have found him. This is a _Sikaya_. They have only been discovered on the nucleus planetoid of a _Mhneschk_, and only once has someone managed to reach the planetoid, record their findings, and escape the _Mhneschk_ again. This was thousands of years ago, which tells you how old the creatures may be."

Mr'sah's eyes grew wide. _Shl'nar mentioned leaving them in a nebula. Perhaps he does not know what it is?_ "What is a _Mhneschk_, Grand Matron? You mentioned it to the High Elder and Arbitrator Kh'val, but I am still confused."

Sh'aan sat back in the cushions with a frustrated sigh. "As I told them, it is a creature that travels through space. It appears like a harmless nebula, but it is in fact a living creature. The archives speculate that they were created at the same time as the rest of the universe, and were the first living things in it. I do not know exactly how many there are, but they breed - in a way - so I suspect that there are at least two."

Mr'sah absorbed this information, correlating it with what Shl'nar told her. The aide mentioned that the nebula had damaged the ship and that it had been difficult to escape, but he had not mentioned it being alive. _He would be interested in this information. _She watched as her superior suddenly leaned forward and continued shuffling through the chaos on the floor. A moment later she barked her triumph and hastily unrolled an ancient scroll over the journal. She jabbed a finger at one point on the chart and met Mr'sah's gaze.

"There! That is the creature's course. It was recorded generations ago by one of my forebears, and this information has been secure in the archives of the Grand Matron ever since. I believe that I am the only one to see it since it was recorded." Her eyes glowed in her excitement, but Mr'sah tried to appear confused.

"So you believe that the Firstborn is _hiding_ in this...creature?"

"I am certain of it, and tracking the creatures course will allow us to find him."

Mr'sah winced at the hope in her superior's tone, and hated to point out the obvious. "But Grand Matron, Arbitrator Kh'val has already left; he is already out there searching for the Firstborn."

Sh'aan nodded sadly. "I know, and I have no doubt that Kh'val knows exactly where to find his brother."

"Then why have you been searching for these charts?" The aide took a chance on logic. "We could never get another search party out in time."

The tired leader stared at her assistant for a long time before retrieving the scroll. She rolled it back up while her mandibles tapped in agitation. "Yes, I know. I told you that I required your sanity. I have been trying to find something to help Kh'aan, but short of justifying the usefulness of their presence in the _Mhneschk_, I can think of no other way to sway the council from executing them.

Mr'sah studied her superior closely, and noted the signs of fatigue in her every move. "Grand Matron, how long has it been since you last slept?"

Sh'aan glanced up absently from the image of the _Sikaya._ "Not since before I spoke with the apprentice. Well, I spoke, he said nothing."

The aide winced. "Do you believe that he knows something?"

"Oh yes. I am certain that the crew knows exactly where Kh'aan and his companion are, and left them there for safe keeping. If they hadn't, the young technician would have told me everything that he knows. I cannot punish them for having the same feelings as I, but I cannot condone their actions before the council either." The regal female growled weakly and stretched her arms overhead.

Mr'sah gently closed the journal, using the data padd to hold the page, and then turned to her superior with as much authority as she could muster.

"Grand Matron, you asked for my assistance, and so I feel it is my duty to tell you…no, to **order** you to rest. Once you have slept these things will make more sense in your mind." Her voice shook more than she would have liked, but Sh'aan only chuckled.

"You would dare 'order' me? Luckily yours are the only orders I would ever consider taking, Mr'sah, because I trust your judgment."

Both females stood and shuffled to the door, the aide stifling a large yawn. They peeked into the corridor for any sign of observers, and then Mr'sah turned and bowed her head.

"I will assist you in any way that I can, Grand Matron."

"I am certain that you will, and I thank you." Sh'aan smirked as the young female squeezed past her into the corridor. "Tell Shl'nar that if I learn anything else of use, I will inform you."

Mr'sah had turned down the hall, but snapped back around to face her superior. "What do you…" The doors closed in her face, and the aide swore that she heard a low chuckle from the other side. "…mean." _Oh Paya, she __does__ know._

########

On the other side of the clan ship, another leader was facing his own turmoil. High Elder Kh'alik had been fielding calls all week from various delegates, some sympathetic to his stance, but others vehemently against him. So far three of the twelve clans had voiced their support of Elder Ne'hak, and no amount of logic or persuasion would sway them. Of the remaining nine, four were adamant that the Firstborn should be left alone in his chosen exile, and four others were of the mindset of High Elder Kh'alik - that passing judgment without knowing the facts was foolhardy.

Kh'alik had yet to hear from one of his oldest and closest friends, Elder Argen from Vicendu clan. The blood feud on their planet had kept the Elder and Matron from attending the council session, and Kh'alik wondered if he would ever hear from them. Their vote could change the course of proceedings, and though Argen was always a steadfast supporter, Kh'alik knew that the elder would not make a decision without first considering all of the facts. It was this analytical thinking that he needed right now, as his own mind churned fitfully.

As though hearing his mental summons, a chime sounded from his communicator. _"High Elder, the honorable Elder Argen wishes to speak with you."_

Kh'alik nearly tipped out of his seat in an effort to activate the comm. "Yes, yes…put him through at once."

Seconds later he met the visage of Elder Argen, and could not stop his chirp of surprise. The regal elder's usually pristine features were crisscrossed with scars, obviously from wristblades, and one of his usually ruby eyes was the milky white of the blind. The elder laughed at Kh'alik's expression.

_"I suppose I do not appear as well kept as usual, do I old friend?"_

The High Elder was at a loss for words and stammered for several moments. "Your eye, what…when? What is happening there, Argen?"

The caramel-colored elder glanced to his side for a moment and nodded before his attention returned to Kh'alik. _"Things have settled down for the past few days, actually. This happened a few weeks ago; an ambitious group of unbloods thought that they could seize the leadership mantle by force. It took some effort to repel them, but we were successful. Their loss has shaken their ranks. They have yet to launch another offensive."_ Argen huffed and glanced away for a moment. _"It is just as well. It gave me time to see to Mi'hai."_

Kh'alik noted a sadness in his tone. "Is Matron Mi'hai alright? Has something happened?"

Argen met his gaze. _"She defended me to her last breath when I was incapacitated. I never knew of the secret panels beneath the council floor, but when we were overwhelmed and I was blinded, she physically threw me into one and fought the traitors on her own."_ His voice filled with remorse. _"I heard the sounds of those young hunters being decimated by her skilled hand, and then I heard her cries of pain. Not long after, she activated her explosive device and took them all to Cetanu with her."_

Argen looked away from the monitor, his grief still plain to see. Kh'alik made a mental note to send any reserve supplies and support to Vicendu as quickly as possible. "You were the only clan to function with mated elders, Argen. You both were an inspiration to us all, teaching us that we still had much to learn. I am deeply saddened by your loss - our loss - of Matron Mi'hai. She will be honored among all of the clans as the mightiest of warriors."

The elder nodded on the screen, and then squared his shoulders. _"I thank you. But this is not why I have contacted you. We…I heard of the problem with the Firstborn, and the resulting dissention among the clans."_

"You have?"

Argen snorted. _"Ne'hak does not waste time gathering puppets. He was rather disappointed when I refused to join forces with him."_

Kh'alik sighed in relief. "Thank Paya. It is good to know that I have your support…"

Argen's forceful chirp silenced the High Elder. _"Forgive me for misleading you, old friend. You will always have my support, but in this, I cannot agree with your decision."_

Kh'alik's eyes widened in shock, and his color paled. "What? We have been through so much, Argen. I was certain that you would view this as I do - see the logic in my reasoning."

_"Yes, we have been through much, High Elder, and I have and will always protect and support you to my last breath. But I cannot in good conscience agree with your opinion regarding the Firstborn."_ Elder Argen sighed. _"I remember when Kh'aan spent several seasons here with my clan. I noticed what a strong and intelligent youth he was, and felt that he would make a fine High Elder someday. It makes me proud to know that we contributed to making him the warrior he is today. It is this reason that I cannot agree with your decision to bring him back for trial, nor can I agree with Elder Ne'hak that he should be executed. Kh'aan has never made rash decisions. He has always been the type to think first and then act. He is well versed in the ways of our species, and knows the code better than most alive today. As such, I am certain that he knew exactly what he was doing when he chose this path."_

Kh'alik was beside himself. "But his actions have already caused dissention among the clans. This cannot be allowed to continue."

Argen's gaze turned stern through the screen. _"No. Your actions, our actions as leaders are what have caused this. It is we who make the decisions for our clans, and it is our inability to cooperate that is leading to unrest. I feel that it would be best for all if we accept matters as they are. Kh'aan has already chosen one of the designated punishments, and as such it should be accepted. He knows that to return would mean his execution, and I doubt that he would be so foolish. Leave him be, Kh'alik. You have more important things to worry about than a hunter under self-imposed exile. You will feel better in the long run, my friend."_

Kh'alik stared wide-eyed at the screen, but before he could respond a loud crash was heard over the comm. Elder Argen nodded to someone on his right and then turned his attention back to the screen. _"Forgive me, but I must go. Things have not exactly returned to normal just yet."_

"Of course. I am sorry to keep you, Elder."

Argen locked gazes with his oldest friend. _"Kh'alik, I would never mislead you. I am certain that this will only end badly if you do not just let it go. I will contact you again at my earliest convenience."_

The High Elder nodded in understanding. "I value your counsel, honored Elder Argen. I bid you good day."

_"And to you, High Elder Kh'alik." _

The link went dead, and Kh'alik slowly rose from his seat. He paced over to the large viewport and gazed out at the rolling storms in the atmosphere of the gas giant they were passing. The planetary turmoil mirrored his own.

"If I let it go, I will never see him again."

########

Far across the next galaxy, Arbitrator Kh'val navigated his vessel through a turbulent region of micronic wave storms. He had hoped to avoid the area, but the navigational sensors indicated that the quickest way to cut off the Mhneschk was to pass through the storms rather than go around. He had wasted several days readjusting the shield polarities to insure that his vessel would hold together for the trip, but even now he noticed screeches along the hull from the sheering forces. His nerves were stretched to their limit in his effort to catch his traitorous brother, and the closer he got the more anxious he became.

He had just passed the final barrier of the storms when his comm. beeped. The arbitrator took a deep breath before answering, and he came face to face with Elder Ne'hak.

_"Your progress, Arbitrator."_

Kh'val knew better than to show any sign of annoyance. "I have just passed the boundary of the Tekai system. I should intercept our quarry within a matter of days."

_"That is good. Inform me when you have him within range." _The signal abruptly went dead and Kh'val growled.

"You are worse than my sire, you pompous beast."

Rather than dwell on their compared arrogance, the frustrated arbitrator set his vessel on automatic navigation and retired to his chambers for a much needed rest. The moment he hit the furs his mind was assailed with images of the human, or at least the human as he had imagined her. Combined traits from many the human females he'd seen fused together to form a creature both enticing and disturbing, and try as he might he was unable to redirect the vision.

After a while of staring at the overhead lighting fixtures, the door to his chamber hissed open, and through it stepped the dark imposing shadow of Cetanu himself. At the demon's side stood the human, sneering even as the god gripped her throat tightly. Kh'val did not know if he was asleep or awake, and could only stare in growing unease.

"**Such trouble for this creature. You should focus on the task at hand."**

"I am, Lord Cetanu. The ooman means nothing." Kh'val winced when Cetanu licked the side of her face.

"**Your words have one meaning, your obvious arousal has another."** The human cackled around the talons gouging her flesh.

"That creature is nothing but prey…an almost useless trophy. She is of no consequence to me." To his horror, the Dark One lifted the female onto the end of Kh'val's bed and violently mounted her from behind. The human shrieked, though the arbitrator could not tell if it was a sound of pain or pleasure. Her teeth gnashed at him with each thrust, and he felt his will crumbling at the sight.

"**Certainly of no consequence, or you would feel no need to pursue your brother, would you?" **Cetanu's voice filled the room with the ominous rumble of thunder, and the human's cries pierced through it like the crack of lightning. Kh'val could not take his eyes from her, and a strange longing grew within him to take the god's place. Cetanu faded slowly, though the human continued to buck from the force of his violation. Blood began to pour from between her bared teeth, and her eyes rolled to white in their sockets.

"**You are weak, Kh'val. You will fail."**

The arbitrator snarled and lunged toward the vision. "I WILL NEVER FAIL!" He toppled off of the platform and when he looked up from the floor, both Cetanu and the human were gone.

"NEVER!"

########

AN: Heh…yeah…can't say much after that except…HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING! – da Cap'n


	33. Chapter 33

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 33 – First Light Before Hell_

Kh'aan's gaze trailed across the human's face, so peaceful in sleep at the moment. Her eyes rolled beneath their lids, signifying a dream state, and while he watched he noticed that her mouth moved silently as though holding a conversation. _**Such a simple creature, soft and non-threatening. How could something so fragile be such a formidable warrior? **_The hunter reached forward to brush a strand of hair away from her eyes, and noticed that she had removed the piercings from her face. _**Why would she remove her adornments? They were not in the way and do not pose a danger in battle. As it is, there is no battle here. I should know better, she is far from simple.**_

Kh'aan pondered their predicament while noting Kayla's improving condition. They were stranded in this strange place – indefinitely, if Shl'nar and his crew could not get a ship to them – and at some point in time they would have to face reality. _**How long would it take to go insane on this planet? Hunters have told stories and recounted legends for generations of warriors left alone. Away from the hunt and clan for too long, they have been rumored to lose their sanity. They are said to almost de-evolve: their only thoughts based on instinct, impossible to control, incapable of rational thought or action. **_He snorted out a laugh in the face of the shudder that raced down his spine. Unconsciously he ran a talon through her hair. _**We cannot stay here, my friend. I will not be placed in yet another position that I might hurt you. I would never forgive myself. **_

At that moment, the human murmured fitfully and pulled the fur tighter around her shoulders. Kh'aan chuckled and moved the water jug a little further away so that she would not knock it over._** After all that we have been through in so short a time, I find it hard to imagine where I would be right now if we had never met.**_

########

_Kayla wormed deeper beneath the down comforter, her eyes warily watching the snow fall all around. Why she was in a four poster bed in the middle of a snowstorm in the woods was a mystery, but for the moment she did not want to leave - not if it meant dislodging the arms from around her waist and releasing the hand that was currently clenched beneath her chin. As she formed the thought, the fingers flexed enough to poke her jaw with a talon, and a low purr rumbled through her back. The human shivered and then growled quietly._

"_Stop that. You're letting in cold air."_

"_How? You're the one fidgeting." His surprisingly clear speech was hitched with mirth. _

"_My feet are cold."_

"_Is that all? A trained soldier and you whine about cold feet? Baby."_

_The hunter pulled her tighter against his chest, and she felt his shins brush against the heels of her feet. His mandibles twirled in her hair and sent a chill down her spine; Kayla couldn't help but squirm at the touch. Not to be outdone, the marine bent her neck forward and grasped one of his fingers in her teeth. _

"_Yrr trrrpped now, bssster," she mumbled around the digit. _

"_And this is a problem?" Kh'aan purred deeply again, and she felt the whisper of his mandibles leave scandalous tingling behind her ears. The gesture made her gasp and she released his finger, but the moment he was free he vanished and Kayla found herself alone._

"_Kh'aan?"_

"Kayla, wake up."

"_Where are you?"_

"Here. Wake up." The human's eyes eased open to meet bronze orbs, and the hunter's grin warmed his gaze.

"Come see."

Before she could respond he rose to his feet and walked away, and the marine took the opportunity to pull the furs back up over her head. _No way…I'm too comfy._ Try as she might, however, once awake she could not fall back to sleep. After an extended struggle Kayla finally groaned, stretching her body out in a line that elicited pops and cracks from her prone limbs. Only then did she realize that the pain in her abdomen was nearly gone - reduced to a dull ache from the screaming agony of before.

"Oh thank god!"

She sat up carefully and smiled when her muscles didn't clench. Swiveling her torso from left to right, her eyes took in the evidence of Kh'aan's care: a half empty jug of water rested by her head, and next to it was the lid of another container, filled with water with several wet and dry skins around it; by her feet was a pile of what looked like medical implements that had not been put away yet. Kayla leaned on her left hand and stretched her right arm over her head and toward the left. After her muscles sighed in relief she repeated the motion on the other side, but her movement was cut short when her hand rested on an impression in the edge of her furs. It distinctly outlined the shape of a large elbow, and was faintly warm. The marine felt a hitch in her throat when she realized that Kh'aan had been keeping _close_ watch over her, and when she traced the rest of the area with her hands and felt his lingering body heat she nearly choked. _Was he sleeping here? Was I that out of it? I've been such a nuisance, he must be sick of me._ She heard the shuffle of the hunters feet approaching, but could not tear her eyes away from the impression._ How long did you stay with me? _

"Kayla! Come see!"

"Yeah, I'm coming. Keep your shirt on."

Kh'aan appeared next to the pile of furs, his expression curious. "Do not wear 'shirt'."

The marine's eyes snapped up to meet his gaze, and a moment later she doubled over with laughter. Kh'aan snorted and crossed his arms. _Silly female, always laughing about something. Then again, oomans do laugh a lot._ After a few moments Kayla got herself under control and eased to her feet. Kh'aan immediately stepped forward to offer his assistance if she needed it, but the marine managed on her own. The hunter's concern flowed from his mouth before he could stop it.

"Feel…Do. You. Feel. Better?"

Kayla met his eyes and smiled. "Have you been practicing?"

Kh'aan's color darkened for an instant before he grunted and looked away. "Had…I. Had. Time. To. Practice."

Her heart warmed unexpectedly and it was the marine's turn to look away before he saw the heat rise beneath her skin. "Well, yes, I do feel better. I think it's finally stopping." She glanced at the implements around her nest and then back at Kh'aan. "Thank you for all of your help. I…It means a lot to me."

He noticed her sudden discomfort, and poked her in the arm to lighten the mood. "Good. Now, come see."

Kayla followed him past the fire, her thoughts on the hunter and eyes on his back, but when they reached the ramp and he stepped aside she was nearly blinded.

"What the hell?"

Her gaze snapped up to meet his, and for a moment he thought that she was genuinely confused. Before he could attempt to explain she let out a high squeal and raced up the ramp. Kh'aan snorted at her behavior and moved to follow, but seconds later the marine stumbled back inside rubbing her eyes.

"Bright?"

"Yeah," she replied, blinking in the darkness. "That was rather stupid. Hang on a second."

Kh'aan watched her shuffle back to the pile of furs, and a moment later came back ripping a thin skin into two long strips. She then tied one strip over her eyes and scratched the surface of the skin before pulling it off. Two quick slashes with her dagger added eye slits to the material, and when she tied it back on the marine was happy to note that she could still see. She turned to the hunter with the other skin.

"On your knees, buddy."

Kh'aan started to drop to one knee, but then fixed her with a distrustful glare. "Why?"

"Oh you big baby! I need to fit this to that giant melon you call a head and you're too tall for me to reach, that's why!" She met his gaze and noticed that he was desperately trying to keep his expression neutral. She poked him in the stomach.

"Down!"

Kh'aan snorted out a laugh and knelt before her. The marine loosely tied the strip around his head, mindful of his sensitive tresses, and then stepped back. "Mark where your eyes are."

The hunter chittered briefly before he realized what she meant. He carefully felt for his eyes through the skin and then gently gouged the material with his talons. Kayla pulled it off and sliced two slits where he marked, and then retied it around his skull.

"Ok, can you see?"

Kh'aan was enclosed in blackness. His vision, not very light oriented in the first place, was almost completely compromised with the skin tied over his eyes. He squinted with every effort until he finally saw a sliver of light. Adjusting the strip slightly revealed that it had not been centered, and now he could clearly see the human standing before him, although she was a little fuzzy around the edges.

"Some."

Kayla smiled. "Good, then let's go!"

Without waiting for him, the marine bounced on her toes and then raced up the ramp. Kh'aan snorted at her exuberance before running after her. They emerged from the cave into what could only be described as brilliance. The entire planet was bathed in a bright lemon haze as the light filtered through the orange nebula, and he mused that it must be passing very close to a star. His companion gasped beside him and he followed her gaze to the surrounding jungle.

The thin trees all had a small crown of leaves, which usually hung limply like the cap of a mushroom. To the fugitives' surprise, the surrounding greenery seemed to be reaching for the light. The trees had reversed their direction, the crowns now stretching skyward and appearing like bowls. The groundcover, previously ankle height to the hunter, was now a jungle of tall stalks of grass reaching nearly to Kayla's waist. The hunter was astonished by this sign of life from mere plants. He'd witnessed much in his years of hunting, but never such unusual behavior from foliage.

He waited a few more minutes for several bright dots to leave his vision, and was thankful for her ingenious eye coverings. _I would have never thought of this. I would have been wasting the power in my mask._ He looked around the clearing for his feisty companion, and spotted her running around the pond and twirling among the trees, acting more like a playful pup than a seasoned soldier.

Kayla spun until she was dizzy and then stopped to lean against a tree. Everything looked abundantly different in the new light, and she felt as though they had only just arrived. She glanced back toward the cave to see Kh'aan standing with his face tilted to the sky and arms relaxed at his sides. For a moment she simply watched him appreciate their adjusted environment before her gaze traveled above him to the top of the volcano. An idea occurred immediately and she ran toward the hunter, poking him in the side as she passed.

"Come on! I bet we can see for miles from up there now!"

Kh'aan followed her gaze and nodded, but rather than race after the human, instead he ran down into the cave. Kayla frowned and released her climbing line to peer into the darkness.

"Are you coming?"

"Keep. Your. Shirt. On."

The marine snorted and sat down on a rock. Whipping out a knife she proceeded to clean some grime from under her finger nails. Never really one for girly hygiene habits, one thing she did hate was grit under her nails. _Better to start off fresh than add new dirt to old_. She glanced up the rock face and frowned before going back to her task.

Kh'aan emerged minutes later with a small cylinder strapped to his back. "Ready?"

Kayla sneered, and the hunter saw a glint in her eye that immediately caused a surge through his blood. "Set?"

They snarled simultaneously. "GO!"

Both warriors leapt onto the rock face, Kayla quickly grasping her line while Kh'aan climbed freehand. After the hunter's previous fall he was a little more careful, and snarled when Kayla began to inch past him. A rock slipped from under his hand making him drop back a few feet, and the human chuckled from overhead.

"Slowpoke!"

Kh'aan growled and gripped the stone. With his hands and feet perfectly poised, he pushed off from the mountain and launched himself up the rock face. He passed Kayla by a short distance before he landed and gripped the stone again, and her expression spoke volumes when he met her gaze.

"Hey! No flying, you cheater!"

A chuckle rumbled from his chest, but the sound cut off when a vine sailed upwards beside him. He glanced down to see that Kayla had reeled in the excess line and then lassoed a stone over her head. She gripped the wall with her toes while dangling her weight from the vine. Kh'aan wanted to maintain his lead, but curiosity and a small measure of concern held him in place.

_If that big lug can just mountain-goat his way up the rock, I'm not getting left in the dust. _With both loops of the vine secure, Kayla gripped the right-hand line and pulled. The tug around her waist made her whoop in triumph, and she quickly hauled herself up the rock face, pulling line with her right hand, hanging onto the slack with her left, and walking/hopping up the wall of stone as quickly as she could. She passed the surprised hunter and sneered before hurrying along.

"Get a move-on, buster!"

Kh'aan shook off his astonishment and raced up the wall but she was already ahead of him. They reached the summit moments apart and the female made a loud cry of victory that sounded like a weak roar. Kh'aan smiled and flicked her in the back of the head.

"You cheat."

Kayla stood with her hands on her hips and stuck out her tongue, her breath a little short after their race. "You're just a sore loser."

"Not."

"Are."

"Not!"

"Are!"

"Pup!"

"Ox!"

Their banter resulted in a brief hand-to-hand fight, and Kh'aan was surprised that she was in peak form so soon after her illness. He swiped his claws in the general direction of her head, only for the marine to grasp his arm and use it as leverage to swing up and kick him in the chest. He grasped her foot to hold the feisty human at bay, but Kayla knew this trick and bent up at the waist to bite his wrist. The hunter dropped her with a snarl, and she stuck out her tongue in return. After a few minutes they both managed to smack each other in the head, and they sank to the stone laughing and basking in the warm light from whatever distant star the nebula was passing.

"You're a brat, hunter," Kayla chuckled, rubbing her jaw.

Kh'aan flexed his mandibles one by one to remove the sting from her uppercut. "You. Are. Impossible. Ooman."

########

At the top of the ridge they were surprised to find a small flat plateau, roughly fifteen feet in length and four feet wide. It provided plenty of space for the fugitives to explore their new surroundings, and they took full advantage. The view from the top of the ridge was spectacular! The island was surrounded by ocean as far as the eye could see, and it gave off a radiant glitter in the bright light. Kayla stood on the rim, balancing precariously while trying to glimpse anything other than water along the horizon. She remembered the small sand bars that they'd seen from orbit, and was disappointed that none seemed to be close to their volcano.

"I can't see anything but ocean," she whined. "Not even those shark things."

Kh'aan turned from his inspection of the valley, and nearly darted forward when he saw how close she was to falling down the mountain. _**I am becoming too concerned about her.**__ Finally ready to face reality? __**Shut up!**_ He quickly turned around and removed the cylinder from his back. It took several minutes of fumbling before he managed to open the container because his mind would not stop listening to the human's every move. _**Pauk, pay attention! **__To what, the ooman or the satellite? _

Kayla finally eased back from the edge of the ridge, not willing to tempt fate any further. She turned when she heard a low growl from the hunter, and saw him fiddling with the strange cylinder. She ambled over and squatted next to him, curious as to what the canteen-looking device was for.

"Ok, you've got me. What is it?" She leaned forward to meet his eyes, but Kh'aan refused and turned away. "What?"

The hunter snarled and violently jabbed a talon down the seam of the device. It opened with a hiss, the top flowering open into what looked like an obvious satellite dish. Kayla immediately answered her own question, but something told her that Kh'aan was suddenly in a questionable mood and so she continued to play stupid.

"As I said…what is it?"

Kh'aan met her gaze, and his expression told her that she could expect a thump on the head very soon. "What look like?"

"I don't know. It's your tech toy. For all I know it's an alien manicure machine." She hid a chuckle when the hunter actually rolled his eyes. _I didn't know he could do that!_

Kh'aan wondered exactly how hard he would have to hit her to dislodge the sudden stupidity from her system, and was about to give her a sound smack in the head when the wind shifted. Her scent wafted over him saturated with barely restrained amusement, and after an extended glaring contest he finally flicked her ear. "Not dumb, ooman. Do not pretend."

She frowned, noticing the hard edge to his voice. "Well what the hell did I do to make you so damn angry all of a sudden?"

Kh'aan tried to ignore her question, but in his agitation he kept dropping the coupling for connecting his wrist computer to the satellite. Finally he huffed out a ragged breath and set it down. He met her gaze and gave in to the urge to ruffle her hair. "Soldier. Can take care of…Your. Self. Not pup. I forget."

She knew he wasn't telling the whole story, but chose to drop it with a few choice last words. "Well, being an adult and acting like an adult are two different things. If I stopped having fun, I'd shrivel up and die a slow boring death."

Kh'aan fixed her with a curious gaze, but the human only shrugged and turned back to the ridge. In seconds she had resumed her position on the rim, and the hunter had to force his eyes away before he did something drastic. He set the satellite to activate his computer if it detected any vessels approaching, and after ensuring that the computer would fully charge, he turned back to the marine.

_**Does she not realize how close she is to the edge? **__I thought you were not concerned? __**No, I am not concerned. I only wonder how she could be so reckless. **__Who fell off of the mountain? _

The hunter snarled, angry that he was arguing with himself again, and ambled over to perch next to the human. His stance was much more relaxed, and when Kayla met his eyes she grinned.

"Not going to fall again, are we?"

Kh'aan grunted and poked her shoulder enough to make her wobble slightly. "Not before you."

Kayla bit her lip to keep from crying out as she tipped sideways. _Jerk! __**Like he would really let you fall.**__ No, but he'd put on a damn good show!_ "I'll remember you said that when you take another header into the pond."

They sat companionably and scanned the newly revealed horizon. Kh'aan was the first to attempt to remove his 'mask', and once their eyes were free to roam they wasted several hours simply looking around unimpeded. Kayla finally spotted signs of life in the vast ocean, and she pointed out the fins of a large group of the 'shark things', growing smaller as they swam for the horizon.

"Shark things?" Kh'aan chuckled lightly. "We. Should. Give. Them. A. Better. Name."

She glanced at him with a twisted smirk on her face. "I'm not an Anthropologist, you know. They get paid to discover new species. I don't." She frowned before sliding down from the ridge to sit with her back to the stone. _You'll be sorry, don't give it a name. __**Where have I heard that before?**_

Kh'aan stepped back from the rim and sat down across from the frowning marine. His eyes fixated on the corner of her lip that she was idly gnawing. _Stop eating your own face._ **"Rh'thak."**

Kayla looked up at the strange sound that he'd made. "What was that?" He repeated the sound several times, and the human made an effort to repeat it. "Raw-thack?"

The hunter chuckled. It was a brutal imitation, but she got a lot closer than he'd anticipated. "Good enough."

The human smiled. "Well, what's it mean?"

"Vile Beast…almost."

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "Rather to the point, huh. We could use that for a few things around here." She rolled the word off her tongue a few more times. "'There's a Rawthack. Look out for the Rawthack. Want some Rawthack stew?' Ok, it works. The shark things are officially christened **Rawthack!**"

Kh'aan snorted. "**Rh'thak**."

"Rawthack!"

"Rh'thak!"

They scrambled to their knees facing each other and snarled menacingly. It looked as though they would fight it out for the naming rights when Kayla suddenly stuck out her tongue and sat back. "Compromise – Thack."

"No," the hunter snarled. "I name. Rh'thak…you name next."

The human crossed her arms and looked across the ridge toward Beach Beast Beach. As soon as the phrase formed in her mind she started laughing, an uncontrollable chuckle that had her on her side grasping her stomach in an effort to regain control. Kh'aan cocked his head to the side wondering what she was laughing about, but he did not have long to wait.

"I'm sorry," she snorted out between giggles. "I just thought about the…well…Beach Beast Beach." With that she fell into another fit of laughter, and heard the hunter chuckle as well. She did her best to sit up straight and catch her breath. "Wow…that was horrible. We should rename them too."

Kh'aan snorted. "Beach Beast Beach…repeat if you can." They fell apart again wasting an hour trying to say the words repeatedly without mistake, and only stopped when they both heard a loud splash from that direction.

Kayla was on her feet first. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes." Kh'aan's eyes scanned the ridge, wishing that he could see through the stone to the sand beyond. Another splash echoed from the shore and then several more in rapid succession accompanied by a chorus of howling shrieks. Shortly after, the wake of the creatures became visible moving away from the island – many churning lines in the water, moving swiftly from the surface to the depths. They could not see the creatures, but it was obvious that a large number were leaving the beach in a hurry.

Kayla nudged the hunter with her elbow. "Any idea what's going on? You're a little more in tune with nature than I am."

Kh'aan grasped her meaning and strained his senses. Their high position on the ridge made catching scents a little difficult, but he could sense moisture in the air that seemed thicker than before. It was odd, but did not seem like enough to warrant such strange behavior from the creatures. "No idea."

Suddenly the human blurted "Crocs!" The hunter turned to her wearing a confused expression, and she chuckled before explaining. "Or Gators. They look like alligators or crocodiles, large reptiles that went extinct on Earth. These are bigger though."

"Crroocks." The word rolled from Kh'aan's mouth like water over pebbles in a brook. "Works."

Kayla smiled and was about to resume monitoring when a loud honk echoed up from the valley. The fugitives exchanged a glance and rushed to the opposite side of the ridge. From their high vantage point they could only see the crowns of the trees and the pond, but as they watched the trees began to sway as though being jostled. Another honk sounded, and then another, and suddenly the valley vibrated with the force as hundreds of voices joined with honks of their own. Kh'aan and Kayla watched, astonished, as scores of flathead birds charged out of the trees in a mad rush for the pond. The hunter felt a twinge of unease as he watched the birds, and when Kayla gasped it increased his anxiety ten-fold.

"Look," she hissed. "Under the water."

Kh'aan snarled, his vision not very adept at looking beneath the surface of water without his mask. "Can not see."

Kayla winced and explained for him. "The pond lizards. There are dozens of them in the water."

The hunter strained his eyes, but moments later he did not have to. More birds swarmed from the jungle than they ever thought could have lived in it, and as the first wave charged into the pond, the lizards reared up in a feeding frenzy. They snapped at any birds that came within reach, and soon the pond was a hazy purple of bird blood and slime. The flightless birds charged directly into the gaping jaws of the lizards, but for each lizard there were easily ten birds, so some were able to make it past the gnashing blockade.

Kh'aan scanned the tree line as the birds rushed out. He knew what he was looking for, though the thought made him snort derisively. Then he saw them: a large group of younglings were being ushered out of the jungle by three adults, but in their blind panic the adults were herding them directly toward the churning pond of death.

Kayla's head snapped to her companion when she heard him let out a shrill call, almost like his normal amused chitter but louder and more urgent. Immediately he was answered by an equally loud honk from the valley, and she looked down to see one young bird suddenly break off from the flock and peer up the mountain. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kh'aan lean forward and make the sound again, and the bird took several steps toward the wall, hopping up and down and honking impatiently.

The marine had a few teasing remarks for her companion, but they dried up in her throat when the rest of the young birds were ushered into the pond. They were much larger than when she'd last seen them, but they had a long way to grow before being full-sized adults. She squinted through the glare and saw them being slaughtered right and left by the pond lizards, and only a few small shadows managed to skirt past them into the depths of the pond. Her heart lurched at the frantic honking of Kh'aan's feathered friend, but his impulsive intervention had saved the poor thing from being a guaranteed lunch.

The little bird honked and raced back and forth at the edge of the bushes, too wary to wade through to the ridge. Kh'aan did not know why he was so concerned about the bird, but relief flooded him that it had avoided the slaughter. He exchanged a glance with Kayla and they were wondering what to do next when the churning in the pond abruptly ceased. The marine peered through the surface and saw the pond lizards racing for the depths, and the remaining birds entered the water without resistance. The little honker took one last glance up the ridge, its desperate call echoed by another loud chirp from the hunter, and then it turned and rushed into the pond.

Kayla watched her companion, the set of his shoulders testament to whatever turmoil made him call for the bird in the first place. _Big bad hunter, maybe, but you're loyal to your 'friends', aren't you?_ "Hey."

Kh'aan could not tear his eyes away from the pond, and it took a concentrated effort to listen to the human. After she spoke again he finally managed to quirk his head in her direction.

"Hey, at least you stopped him from walking directly into lunch, you know? Survival of the fittest usually, but it pays to have friends. You gave him a better chance." The hunter snorted, and she could just hear the self-destructive argument going on in his mind. "Stop beating yourself up. Showing concern for a creature you have encountered is much better than ignoring it and letting it walk blindly into death. Besides…who's here to judge?"

Kh'aan finally tore his gaze from the water to stare at the human. "You."

"Me?" Her laugh sounded more like a bark. "I'm the least of your worries, pal. Personally, I'm surprised that you didn't lower a rope for him. I might have." When he grunted she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Kh'aan. Your secret is safe with me."

She smiled when he turned toward her, but the hunter's eyes passed her and darkened immediately. The marine spun around to follow his gaze and her jaw dropped. "Oh shit."

Far out to sea, a large bright mass was rapidly approaching the island from beneath the surface of the water. The fact that Kh'aan could see it sent a shudder through her. "What do you see?"

"Heat. Coming this way."

"Big or small?"

"Small. Many small."

"M…many?" The human gulped, and when their eyes met they were thinking about the same thing – the underwater ridges teeming with strange signs of life.

Kh'aan snarled and stood to his full height. This new development could be anything, but his instincts were screaming **battle**. He rested a hand on Kayla's shoulder and gestured that they should climb down.

"Weapons."

The marine nodded, her scent changing with the determination in her gaze. "Right. Battle Stations."

By the time they reached the valley floor they were nearly shaking with anticipation, and when the pond began to churn and glow their bloodlust kicked into high gear. Human and Yautja skidded into the cave with singular purpose. They dove into the weapons stash with abandon, the hunter fully arming himself as though going to cleanse a hive. He tested his newly charged computer and practically purred when it powered up without pause. He snapped on his mask and turned to wait for Kayla. The human had tied a dozen blades to her person, and was pondering something else for her arsenal when her eyes spied a wicked looking whip half-buried at the bottom of a crate. It appeared to be made completely of metal, but it was soft and pliable like an ordinary leather whip. She hooked the coil to her belt, just in case.

Laden with armaments, Kh'aan and Kayla's eyes met for a brief instant, their heads cocked and listening to the increasing sound of churning water from the pond. Each could see both excitement and fierce determination in the others gaze.

"Are we over-reacting?"

"No. Attack or defend?"

"Attack. Should we go easy on them?"

They grinned, the exchange pumping them up, and both raised a blade the air as they roared up the ramp.

"NO!"

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AN: Hiya peoples. Hope this placates your fevered palates. Heh…I've been looking forward to it, so I hope it's as good for you as it was for me. Oh, and for those who were less than enthused about the last chapter…sorry. Story has a life of its own, and secondary characters are the butter, mustard and ranch dressing that holds the rest of the sandwich together. Without it, you've got a bunch of floppy slices of bread, cheese and meat. Sneeze and they fall apart.

Enjoy! More to come!

-da Cap'n


	34. Chapter 34

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 34 - Charybdis_

A tiny planetoid hovers in the center of a living nebula. Uncharted and undisturbed for ages, its inhabitants follow their natural course without thought to the possibility of change. With each passing of the _Neilis_ Star, the largest and closest to the anomaly's course, the native creatures enact a timeless ballet of survival. The all-encompassing sea becomes a battlefield as creatures clamor for dominance and the right to mate. Many fall; only the fittest survive to prolong the species for the next cycle. None are spared in the recurring dance, and each life form must prove its fortitude or perish.

This cycle has changed. _Neilis_ comes early, driving the creatures into a chaotic frenzy as their natural course attempts to adjust to the unexpected development. More perish; fewer perpetuate their lineage, as they are unprepared and unable to speed up their seasons. All has been abruptly altered by the presence of alien interlopers. Their energy has disrupted the natural order, and a chain reaction threatens to completely dismantle what has taken eons to perfect. Even now, the alpha predators sense changes to their environment - a taint within the sacred valley spooks their already rattled nerves. The season comes too soon and with it, a feeling of foreboding and the instinct to defend their territory. Thrown into this firestorm are two warriors, armed to the teeth and eager to prove their fortitude against any foe.

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Kh'aan and Kayla charged out of the cave with visions of flying alien limbs ricocheting through their minds. Their attack skidded to a halt at the line of shrubs and human and Yautja dropped quickly to the ground. The hunter could hear the marine's heartbeat skip several times as her eyes skirted through the foliage, and when she met his gaze they were surprisingly filled with fear.

"Um, maybe this was a bad idea," she hissed.

Kh'aan nodded but remained silent. He had seen many things in his years of hunting, but nothing could have prepared him for the sea of bobbing heads less than an arm's length from him. He peered through the bushes, holding back the growl of frustration that threatened to reveal their location. Emerging from the pond was an unending stream of short bright creatures - their heat plainly visible though he could not tell their color. They were no higher than the hunter's knees, but their **numbers**…he guessed there to be at least two hundred of them spreading into the valley already, and yet the pond continued to spew forth more by the dozens. The beings were shorter than the hedge blocking the cave, and Kh'aan hoped that they had not been seen.

His scrutiny was interrupted when he felt the human's body dangerously close to his own. Kayla leaned on an elbow and scooted forward as though trying to crawl _into_ him, and for a heartbeat the hunter was reminded of his recent 'issues' regarding her. He shuddered almost imperceptibly and was about to gently push her away when he felt her cheek against the side of his face - just behind his right upper tusk, her breath tickled down the side of his neck.

"Dammit…can't find your ear." The human shifted again and then held perfectly still against him - her voice was like a breeze against his skin. "Hopefully they can't hear me. Just nod or shake your head. Your voice is too deep." Kh'aan nodded.

In her current position, Kayla could see over the hunter's shoulder, and the approaching blue glow that inched around the hedge made her bite her lip to keep from swearing. "They're short, but there are too many. If we stay here they'll push us back into the cave and we'll be sitting ducks." She waited until Kh'aan's cheek brushed hers in a slight nod. "The ridge would be a better defense point, yes?" Another shift of his skin against hers. "Ok. We'll go on three…One…Two…"

Suddenly the warmth of her proximity was gone, accompanied by a sharp yelp. Kh'aan unconsciously reached forward as the human was yanked away by a dozen tiny hands on her legs. She disappeared around the hedge, but moments later he heard her loud and clear.

"…the FUCK OFF ME!"

Kh'aan watched as a small head sailed over the hedge and rolled down into the cavern. He sensed movement behind him and a heavy growl built in his throat. In one fluid motion he rolled over, extended his wristblades, and swept his arm to the side while rising to his feet. Six heads lolled to a stop beneath the hedge, and a chorus of shrill squeals came from the crowd of miniature beings as they scattered before his imposing figure. The hunter stormed around the hedge snarling but his step faltered for a moment when hundreds of eyes turned as one to blink at him. Then they charged.

Kayla kicked fiercely at the little blue creatures as they pulled her around the hedge. Several were thrown into the pond from the force, but as she scrambled to her feet more hands grasped at her legs. Their claws pierced her skin like tiny thorns on a rose bush, but she shook off the sting and lashed out with another kick. The disproportionately sized head of her target literally popped off of its tiny neck and sailed over the hedge. A series of shrieks resounded through the horde and they slithered back on their long tails to regroup.

The human took a moment to study the glowing blue creatures while drawing another blade. Their large heads were barely supported by narrow, spring-like necks - she supposed that they were usually supported by water pressure. Each head had two enormous eyes taking up half of the face. The other half was split by a wide mouth of short, sharp teeth. Kayla kicked out at several approaching from behind, and then hazarded another analytical glance while she sized them up. Their narrow shoulders attached to two thin arms, each ending in a four-fingered hand with metallic looking claws. The torso, taken by itself, could belong to a small child if not for the strange arrow-shaped scales that began below the waist. The scales continued through the remainder of the body, culminating in a long fat tail that they used both as a weapon and for motion. The human hopped back as three slithered forward and snapped their tails at her legs. The tip of the tail had another metallic point similar to their claws, and when it sliced through her pants and nicked the skin Kayla made a mental note to avoid them at all costs. She drew her right-hand blade forward in an upper cut and severed the tails before kicking out again at a group on her left. _This is ridiculous! We're under attack by half-pint smurf-fish from outer space! _Memories of the children's program that she had watched so long ago made her chuckle. It had been a poorly made reboot of another program from before her great-great grandfather was born, but their current enemy bore a startling resemblance to the imaginary gnomes.

She was brought back to the present when a blue streak appeared heading right for her face. She ducked in time for the severed head to miss her by inches, and the human glared up at her companion across the pond.

"Hey! Watch where you throw those things!"

Kh'aan whirled low into a crouch and took several heads off with his wristblades before spinning back to his feet. The human's annoyed call made him chuckle, but he returned his focus to the threat when he felt three tails pierce his calves. He severed the offending limbs before launching their owners into the pond with a well-placed foot. As he turned back to the creatures his vision briefly swam before clarifying, and the hunter felt the first twinge of alarm. _Poison? I am immune to poison! _He launched a clawed foot into the closest pack, only hitting two. His foot felt like stone. _**Not this poison.**_ The thought fueled his anger, and the hunter bent forward to scissor his arms through the creatures, sending heads and limbs in every direction. The creatures reared up and slithered back from the advancing monster, their heads bobbing anxiously. He took a moment to reassess the threat, and was pleased to note that the creatures had stopped pouring out of the pond. Either the full complement had already arrived, or they were wary to send any more of their number to slaughter. His eyes flicked to the opposite end of the pond in time to see Kayla cartwheel through a throng of the minute beings, and several fell beneath her blades. A smile twitched through his mandibles just as another tail broke through his hide. The hunter roared and stomped on the offending alien.

"GET. THE. FUCK. OFF. ME!"

Kayla laughed when she heard his gruff voice, but before she could check on his progress another swarm of creatures surged toward her from his direction. Unable to rejoin her companion, the marine instead took off at a run into the jungle. Her limbs were beginning to react to the venom from their tiny claws, and though the adrenaline kept her moving, it also fed the poison into her system that much faster. The marine barely reached the sandy pass before she stumbled to her knees.

"Shit! Get up, Kayla! Get up!"

No sooner had she said the words when bodies slammed into her from behind. The human sprawled face-first in the sand with a grunt, but she quickly regained her senses enough to swing her arms up behind her. She felt the blades meet flesh, and a shrill squeak echoed the theory as the weight on her back disappeared. She rolled several times and crushed one creature under her elbow before springing to her feet. The movement sent a dizzy spell through her head but she shook it off. Before her, roughly twenty heads bobbed in unison before the creatures rushed forward, their long tails propelling them faster than she had anticipated. The marine took a step back and crouched. As they drew within arm's reach she opened her mouth and howled as loudly as she could. The startled creatures halted their advance long enough for her to lunge forward and leap over their heads. She thrust her blades down into two skulls while she passed, and once behind them she took off back into the jungle. The move was not what she'd had in mind, but as she had pushed off from the ground her leg nearly gave out, and so the marine chose flight instead of fight - for the moment.

She leapt through the underbrush as fast as her watery legs could carry her, and heard the rustle of the creatures pursuit. She wanted to return to Kh'aan for safety in numbers, but each time she veered toward the pond another pack of underwater aliens cut her off. The human felt her skin growing hot, and if she blinked it was difficult to refocus. _Gotta save one…antidote. __**Like you know how to make an antidote. **__Kh'aan might. Dammit! I'm arguing with myself._ She shut off her brain in time to veer around another pack of creatures, but her movement lacked her normal coordination and she stumbled face-first into a tree. Almost immediately she was swarmed, and the creatures began to climb over each other in an effort to surmount the large biped. Kayla yelped, not without fear, and frantically flailed her arms at her back in an effort to shake them off. She spun and backed into the tree, and felt two drop from her shoulders, but another managed to hang on long enough to anchor its claws into her skin. The human screamed against the pain, and threw her body to the ground on her back. A sickening crunch followed by spreading wet stickiness told her all that she needed to know, and she spun into a crouch while jutting out her leg to the side. Though not at full strength, she still knocked ten of the beasts for a loop, and the rest scrambled back out of reach. She took the opportunity and dashed into the jungle as quickly as her damaged body could move.

Meanwhile, Kh'aan was holding back the swarm at the pond. They seemed intent on getting into the cave, and even as he beat them back he was reminded of Kayla's words…_sitting ducks…whatever a duck is._ Another tail lashed across his thigh and the hunter snarled. He reached down to grasp the offending creature and held it upside down before his eyes. Without its tail it was shorter than his arm, and though it tried to slash at him it could not reach. Kh'aan snorted before opening his mouth in a ferocious roar. The creature in his grasp cringed at first, and then it clasped its hands to its head and wailed. The hunter kept up the noise even though his throat was protesting the strain, and he kicked randomly at the invaders at his feet to keep them back. Just as he knew that it was time to stop or risk damage to his voice, the being cried out and its head exploded. Startled, the hunter dropped the carcass and stepped back. The surrounding attackers were also pained by the effect of his roar, and he took the opportunity to charge through them and further decimate their numbers.

He danced and spun among the throngs of creatures, severing heads and limbs with abandon. His reaction to their poison was nearly forgotten until he suddenly felt a painful tearing sensation in his abdomen. He straightened from his crouch to see that two crafty beasts had taken a suicide run at him, impaling their tails to the hilt in his gut knowing full well that they would die for it. He ripped them from his body and crushed their skulls together, but the damage had been done. The poison surged through his system, having entered so close to vital organs. He felt a throbbing begin at the base of his skull, and seconds later his vision drastically shifted. Everything glared brightly with heat and he stumbled backwards blindly. The creatures inched forward waiting for the behemoth to topple into their midst, but just as his steps faltered they suddenly reared, their bobbing heads turning together toward the pass. A short chirp sounded through their number, and without a second thought they turned and raced into the pond.

Kayla was lost in the jungle. Her sense of direction was impaired and even with the pass in sight, she could not find her way back to the pond. The creatures followed her closely, jumping out of reach when she lashed out at them blindly, but their patience told her that she would not be upright for very much longer. She turned abruptly and barked weakly at them, but the creatures were not impressed. They let out a loud hiss and slithered forward, the unexpected move forcing Kayla to stumble backwards. She tripped over a rock and landed in the sand, her head swimming from the sudden motion. The marine raised her weapons, a weak gesture considering that she could not feel her left hand. Kh'aan flitted painfully through her mind, but just as a whimper formed in her throat the creatures suddenly halted their advance. Their necks stretched as their heads bobbed in unison, and a moment later they turned and charged out of the pass into the sea.

For a moment the marine did not believe her eyes. _Is there a god after all? _Seconds after she'd thought it was the end, Kayla found herself surrounded by the simple, silent tranquility of the valley. She felt her eyes drooping in the encroaching silence, and forced her feet to function. It took several minutes and the help of a nearby tree before she managed to achieve an upright position, and even then she had to remain hunched against the vertigo surging through her system. _The next deserted planet we get stuck on had better be COMPLETELY deserted!_ Riding the miniscule energy her humor provided, the marine slowly trudged back into the jungle, intent on reaching the pond and her companion before her face met the dirt again.

Kh'aan stood next to the pond breathing heavily. Though his figure was an imposing demonstration of strength, to the trained eye he was shaking violently. It took every ounce of his willpower to remain upright; the poison was wreaking havoc on his usually impermeable system, and his left eye was a haze of fog. Absently he stepped back to a dead creature, opened a mesh sack with some difficulty, and stashed the body in the sack for further analysis. The only way to make an anti-venom was with the original substance. He only hoped that Kayla had not been stung as extensively as he or she might be unconscious somewhere in the jungle.

No sooner did she enter his thoughts when her scent reached him on the breeze. It was heavy with fatigue and something pungent, and he snarled realizing that his wish would not be granted. He turned toward the end of the pond and barely made out the heat bloom as Kayla shuffled out of the trees. He lurched forward to catch her as she toppled over, and they collapsed in a heap on the bank of the pond. The human breathed out a shaky sigh of relief when she realized where she was.

"Good…made it. The…claws…poison…fucking smurfs..." She forced her gaze up to his eyes by throwing her head back - her neck cracked from the strain. "Got 'em runnin'…little…vermin…" Her head lolled forward again, and Kh'aan tucked a shaking finger under her chin to keep her upright. The tremor was not lost on the marine.

"Got…got you too…thought…you were…invul…invul…" She shook her head in an attempt to form the word properly.

The hunter grasped her meaning and interrupted the struggle. "Me too. Am not." He made an effort to stand, but his legs were shaking too much to properly hold him. After an extended effort he realized that he was not shaking - the _island_ was.

Kayla felt a heavy rumble course through the ground, and her first thought was of the giant worm that nearly ate her companion. Her eyes scanned the ground frantically for any sign, but the ground shook everywhere. She glanced over at Kh'aan, who was growling heavily and shaking his head as though something were attached to it. The hunter snorted and threw his head back in frustration, and in the crook of his throat Kayla caught sight of the pass.

"Oh my god!"

Kh'aan desperately tried to shake the fog from his sight, but only succeeded in giving himself a headache. Kayla's cry brought his distorted gaze to her, but she was looking past his shoulder. The hunter turned, but his vision could not make out more than heat and no heat.

"What you see?"

Suddenly she was pulling at his arm, and he hadn't realized that she had scrambled over to him on her hands and knees.

"Go! Go go go! Help me up! We've gotta go!"

The hunter looked rapidly between the pass and human, his tresses flying madly with the movement. "What wrong? Why?"

Kayla was on her knees, but no matter how hard she tried could not manage to stand on her feet. The sight stole her senses, and she couldn't form coherent words. An enormous wall of water was racing toward the island. It appeared nearly as high as the volcano from what she could see, and from this distance she could tell it was coming at them fast. Unable to control her growing fear, she reached up and grasped the hunter's face by his tusks.

"WATER! RUN!"

Kh'aan snarled and glanced back to the pass. He strained his eyes but could not see past the thermal glare. Without a second thought he picked up the frantic human.

"Guide me."

"What?" Kayla's eyes grew wider. _Oh shit! Don't tell me…_ "You can't see?" A sharp shake of his head was her answer, and the marine felt a pit form in her stomach. "Shit!"

She looked up at their path to the cave. "We've got to climb. Run forward." The hunter bolted at her command and she barked instructions, her voice rising with each obstacle.

"Jump!" He leapt fluidly over a pile of dead creatures and kept going. "Duck! I mean, there's a branch! Shit!" At the last second Kh'aan grasped her meaning and dove into a roll, cradling the human through the maneuver and rising to his feet as though he was not carrying her. Kayla's wide eyes stared at him.

"If we survive I'm going to kill you!"

The hunter snorted but kept running. She guided him over two more stacks of bodies and then said what he was waiting to hear, though she had to shout to be heard over the roar of the approaching flood. "BUSHES!"

Kayla ducked into his chest when he took the hedge in one giant leap. She thought briefly of the ramp down into the cave, but Kh'aan remembered and halted at the edge the moment his feet hit the ground.

Suddenly the entire island shook. The wall of water slammed into the stone bowl with the force of a meteor, and the pass only served to channel the ocean through a small space. The roar was deafening, and seconds after it started Kayla heard another sound. She spared a glance at the pond to see it bubbling and churning as though at a rolling boil.

Kh'aan did not need to be told of the situation. He shuffled quickly to the right, and when he saw the heat in his vision diminish he raised a hand to meet the stone. Without preamble he adjusted his grip on the female and heaved her up onto the wall. His arms shook with the effort, and the lingering poison threatened to knock his legs out from under him.

"Climb!"

Kayla scrambled to hang onto the stone with her forearm since her hands refused to cooperate. "I'm trying! My hands are numb!"

The hunter shuddered as the vibration in the ground rattled his bones - he knew that the water was close without being able to look. "Hurry!" Unable to carry her, he began his own ascent until he felt his head hit her feet, and then he positioned them on his shoulders. "MOVE. IT. SOLDIER!"

The marine yelped in surprise and frustration when she was suddenly pushed up the wall. She looked down to see that Kh'aan was supporting her numb feet on his shoulders as he climbed, but his hands were shaking violently and he could barely grip the stone. She focused on the wall and tried to ignore the rush of water.

"I'm going!"

"Faster!"

"I'm trying!" Silence met her over the roaring ocean. She glanced down to meet Kh'aan's fearful gaze just as the approaching sea crashed into him and ripped the hunter from the wall.

"KH'AAN!"

Kayla's voice dried in her throat and she watched him struggle to swim, but the force was too strong and he was sucked into the cascade flowing into the cave. Her mind locked onto panic mode and would not break free, but when water licked at her heels instinct took over. The marine could not tear her eyes from the cave entrance, and it grew further away by the second as her arms and legs wormed up the rock face.

"No! Kh'aan! NOOOOO!"

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The water slammed into Kh'aan's back with such force that he thought for a moment that his spine had snapped. He crashed face-first into the rock face before being sucked under by the churning maelstrom pouring into their cave. The hunter forced his limbs to swim against the strong current, but his efforts were in vain against such power. His head broke the surface long enough to hear Kayla scream his name, and then he was sucked down into the cave. The force of the water churned Kh'aan around in circles, disrupting his sense of direction and compounding his panic. The hunter thrashed against the current, but could no longer determine which way was up much less find the entrance to the cave. His lungs burned painfully but he fought against the urge to breathe. A stray thought attempted to remind him of something important, but in his panic he could only think of Kayla. He abruptly slammed into what he thought was the ceiling, and started to use his talons to crawl along the stone when he was suddenly engulfed in furs. The once neat pile now tumbled haphazardly through the cave, and it did not take long for him to become completely entwined in them. With his arms and legs knotted up in the material the hunter could no longer swim, and the water snared him in its violent whirlpool. Kh'aan shut his eyes begging Paya to watch over his companion, but the plea was interrupted by his skull smacking into the cave wall. The impact made him involuntarily cry out, and water took the opportunity to pour into his lungs. The burning in his chest exploded into piercing agony and the hunter knew true fear for the first time in his life - though not for himself.

_Kayla…_

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The volcano shook violently and the pond suddenly erupted beneath the churning sea, the external pressure of the rising tide forcing the small lake back on itself. Hundreds of cubic meters of water spewed out of the pond like an exploding fountain, and the sea level in the valley raced to overtake the slowly climbing human. Kayla's mind was lost, and her body acted of its own survival instinct while she cried desperately for her lost companion.

"Kh'aan! Where are you! Oh god, this can't be happening! KH'AAN!." Her vision blurred through hated tears, but the marine pushed on, finally cresting the ridge. She heaved over the spires and crumbled to the plateau just as the wave crested on all sides of the island. The marine dared to glance out across the sea, and her heart cracked into little pieces. The entire ocean had risen to nearly the height of the volcano. The ridge of stone now resembled a circular reef instead of the mountain that it was. Her body shook and threatened to rebel as she slowly turned to face the valley. The rushing sea had calmed now that the water level had equalized, but the human felt no relief. Her eyes darted across the dark surface searching desperately for the hunter, and with each fruitless pass her heart shattered. She had never been the type to give in to her emotions, even in moments that had truly called for it, but now she could not hold them back. The human wailed pitifully, her anguish ringing from every cry.

"KH'AAN! Please god, no! KH'AAN! Don't…oh god…he can't…oh please no! KH'AAN! KH'AAAAANNN!"

Overcome with grief, Kayla screamed until her voice cracked. The pain of loss coursed through her veins like ice water and her knees buckled. Clinging to the spires, the marine's control snapped with a flood of burning tears. All willpower lost, she sank to the stone and cried.

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	35. Chapter 35

AN: told you it wouldn't take long. Have tissues ready.

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 35 - To Be, or Not_

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"_Grampa, why do people die?"_

"_Well, little munchkin, it is a natural part of life. We are all given a limited amount of time, and then we go away."_

"_Where do we go?"_

"_Well, that depends on what you believe. I like to think that we go to heaven, but not everyone has the same idea."_

"_Did Gramma go to heaven?"_

"_Yes sweetie, but that was a long time before you were born." _

"_Did it make you sad?" Kayla felt her grandfather's arms wrap around her shoulders, and she relished in the comfort that they provided…safe and yet…not safe enough._

"_It is always sad to lose someone we love, little one."_

_Kayla turned to meet his gaze and saw her tearful adult eyes reflecting back. She had so many questions, none of which made any sense when faced with her long lost family. Her grandfather smiled, revealing the gap in his front teeth._

"_Your heart is breaking, my little Kayla. I know because I have felt the same before."_

_The woman shuddered. "But he was only an ally, a comrade. I've lost teammates before."_

"_Yes," her grandfather interrupted, "but he was also your friend." He held her gaze, and behind his voice she heard the sound of the surf. "Your unique__** alien**__ friend, who risked his life to save yours even after you fought to the death; from whom you have not been separated in months; who cares just as much for you, doesn't he?"_

_Kayla sniffed and felt wakefulness approach with the scent of the sea. "__Didn't__ he. He's dead, Grampa."_

_Her grandfather smiled but said nothing, and she fell against him with renewed tears. _

"_He's gone. He's gone…"_

"He's gone."

The human blinked swollen eyes until the ridge came into focus. She drew a lazy finger along the stone while searching for a viable reason to stand. Her strength was there, but her will was gone.

_Kh'aan is dead._

A sour feeling settled in her stomach, and combined with the ache in her soul threatened to unhinge what remained of her grip on reality. Absently she wondered if her grandfather had felt as hopelessly lost all those years ago.

_**Pull yourself together! **__Why? He drowned. Kh'aan's dead. __**You are a sergeant of the Galactic Marine Corps, soldier. You know full well that comrades die. **__This can't be happening…he's gone! __**Get a grip, woman. Hysterics are not an option!**_

"HE'S GONE!"

The words tore from Kayla's wrecked throat like the rasp of sandpaper over steel, and the pain forced more tears from her eyes. Nearly a day had passed since Kh'aan's disappearance beneath the sea, but the human had not moved from her slumped position on the ridge. The spire that she leaned against dug painfully into her side, but it was a negligible irritation in comparison to the shredding agony ripping through her heart.

_**Survival soldier! Get up!**__ For what…he's dead. __**That's an order, marine! **__Kh'aan is dead. __**But you're still alive.**__ He's dead. __**Pity is for the weak!**__ HE'S DEAD!_

Her head throbbed from argument and grief. Kayla tried to rise from the stone, but every effort brought this nightmare into stark relief - the ocean dwellers; poison in her veins; the wall of water; his shaking hands; fear…fear in the hunter's eyes as he was sucked under. Another shudder rocked through her frame and she lost the strength in her legs, choking weakly on the remaining tears that threatened to fall.

_**You're a pathetic excuse for a soldier! Pull yourself together! **__Kh'aan is DEAD! __**Dammit, get a grip, on yourself.**__ He's my friend!__** He's an alien, a murderous predator. Do you think he cared this much about you? **_

Kayla slammed her fist against the stone and heaved to her feet. The surge of anger at her own human mentality served well to get her moving, and she paced nervous circles around the small ridge while trying not to see the surrounding ocean. _He saved my life, he risked everything to rescue me. He…_Kayla shook her head and gripped two spires, the flooded valley serving only as a tombstone in her mind. _He's out there…__under__ there…alone…dead._ Her throat seized, anguish building to explosion, and the marine viciously bit her tongue to keep from screaming again. Her shoulders started to shake in time with her wobbling knees, and the human felt the telltale burning behind her eyes, though she wondered how she could have any tears left.

"Kh'aan." His name left her lips in a whisper and she shook her head several times to dissipate the images flowing through it - flashing blades in snow; glowing eyes that seemed to melt the ice around them; clawed feet outside a glass prison. In the beginning she did not so much fear him as distrust him, and even that was short-lived. _Relieved eyes through glass; fruit juice and bread fights; conquered beasts; skipping stones…Kh'aan._

The human whimpered. "Oh god…pull it together, Kayla!" Her voice shook enough to remove all conviction from the words, and she forced her gaze out over the water much like an agoraphobic might force themselves to look out of a window. The contained ocean was calmer now that the sea level had equalized, and it reflected the bright nebula like a mirror. The thought of so much water entombing her friend sent a wave of searing fire through her heart, and the marine gripped her hair with both hands as if to pull it out.

"_Crazy ooman." "Silly ooman." "…impossible ooman." "Will never harm you, Kayla." "KAYLA!"_

The human screamed against his voice in her head, it's raspy growl doing more to tear her apart than the sight of an entire ocean washing him away. _Make it stop! Make it stop please! I can't…I can't do this. __**You have no choice. **__I can't survive without him. __**Yes you can, you're a trained marine. **__I don't want to. I won't._

She turned slowly toward the outer wall in an effort to alter the course of her brain. As her eyes trailed along the inner ridge, she saw something in the water. A lump appeared to bob in the tide, but it looked like it was snagged on the stone since it did not move very far from that spot. An itch made the marine step forward, and then again, until she stubbed her toe on the stone and the end of the plateau. Her hands shook at her sides, and she forced them up under her arms while she squinted against the glare. With her mind simultaneously numb and aching, she absently stooped down to pick up a rock. She lobbed it in the direction of the lump, missing by several feet, but the ripples it caused moved the floating mass enough that she was able to make out the patchwork of one of the skins from their pile.

"Oh god."

That the skin had not only floated up to the surface, but now also resembled a pillow, churned through Kayla's gut like acid. There was only one reason that a flat piece of material could suddenly have substance, and she dove into the water without a second thought. The ocean was colder than usual, and it shocked the marine's senses enough allow a moment of focus. As she churned through the water, another memory surfaced that fueled her resolve.

"_Look around soldiers. This is not just your team, it is your family. You will eat together, sleep together, fight together, and some of you will die together. This unit is only as good as the sum of its parts, men, and make no mistake…we all make it, or no one does. __**We leave no man behind."**_

"Leave no man behind. Leave no man behind." The human repeated the words with each stroke, riding the strength they provided in an effort to retrieve her fallen comrade. After a few more minutes she stopped swimming and looked up. The mound was less than four feet from her, and now she could see the tendrils of his hair flowing around him like snakes in the water. A gasp escaped involuntarily, and she choked on a mouthful of water.

He was wrapped tightly in the skins and furs from their cave, and when she ducked under the surface she nearly cried out again at the sight. Though his right arm drifted freely in the current, his left was bound tightly to his side by the twist of furs around his torso. From his shoulders to his knees he was wound tighter than a mummy, and the image of him struggling to swim flooded her mind. To make matters worse, it appeared that the first skin had snagged on the claws of his left foot, and the mass knotted up around him from there. _He never had a chance._

Kayla let out a heavy groan before setting her mind to the task of pulling him back. She took another breath before diving under and untangling the loose skin from his foot. Memories of zero-gravity flooded her, and she hoped that he was at least slightly weightless. The marine pulled the skin until the hunter was turned around, and then while gripping it in her right hand she attempted to swim back to the ridge. It was like pulling a tank. Even in the water his bulk was too much for her, and after an extended effort attempting to pull her way along the stone she gave up.

"You big lug," she sniffed half heartedly. "Leave no _ox_ behind."

After several more minutes of contemplation she got an idea. Kayla pulled the loose skin until the hunter's legs met her own, and then she knotted their knees together with the material. His clawed foot was inches from her face but she didn't care at that point. With her hands free, the marine took a deep breath and grasped at the stone spires. He was no lighter than before but with use of both arms she managed to get moving, and pulled them back toward the ridge.

"_Will never harm you, Kayla."_

"Yeah, I know. Just watch your claws, buster." The imaginary conversation brought tears to her eyes that fell unchecked into the water. Her arms burned with the effort to pull his dead weight, but deep within her mind a thought formed - if he dragged her down she really didn't care.

The marine heaved and pulled for what seemed like hours, but finally she reached her climbing vine still tied to the ridge. She anchored her feet to the stone, and with shaking arms pulled the hunter closer and proceeded to unwind him from the furs. A heavy lump formed in her throat while she spun him around - it was the only way to unravel the furs. As she released the last skin the human could not help but cry out. The final fur had wrapped tightly around his face, and when she saw his closed eyes and slack mandibles all restraint abandoned her.

The marine cradled the hunter's head against her chest. She wanted his eyes to open, to hear a rasping breath escape, but he was still and cold. The floodgates opened, and Kayla fell lost into endless grief again. She screamed until her voice cracked, and then cried until her eyes ran dry, the injustice of it all weighing heavily on her soul.

After an hour in the water her teeth began to chatter, and she absently reached up to grasp the ridge. To her surprise, the sea level had dropped while she'd been in it and the ridge was now further away. _Fuck!_ She had hoped that the water would ease her load in getting him up there, but now it was too far. The frustrated human sobbed out several colorful adjectives while tightly clutching the hunter. Her mind was fracturing into chaos in the face of so many obstacles, and she was contemplating simply floating with him out to sea when her eyes fell on the climbing line. A jolt fired up her spine and she quickly released Kh'aan and wedged his arm between two stones.

"Stay put. I'll be right back."

The marine took several deep breaths before she submerged and swam down the wall following the vine. She was lost in the gloom when the lack of air began to affect her, and she pulled her knife and started the return trip, pulling out her anchors as she ascended. She breached the surface gasping for air only to see that Kh'aan had escaped his perch and was drifting away. The exasperated marine quickly recovered his body and immediately tied the vine around his chest under his arms.

"Now STAY!"

She turned back to the ridge and heaved her weary body out of the water. _How the hell am I going to haul him out? This is so stupid. __**Leave no man behind. **_With her eyes burning again Kayla scanned the ridge for something to help, and her eyes rested on a spike of stone directly across from her. _Leverage_. She pulled the vine from the end tied to the stone and looped it around the spire, the other end trailing over the ridge to the hunter. A multitude of doubting voices echoed through her mind, but she pushed them down and got a steady grip on the vine.

"Ok. Now hold together…please." The vine had held her weight, but aside from a tug or two Kh'aan had never tested it. Gripping Kh'aan's end over her shoulder, the marine took a deep breath and heaved. As expected, the hunter's bulk did not move – instead she fell on her rump and slid back. Muttering curses, she leapt to her feet and pulled again, this time hanging onto the anchored line as well. Inch by agonizing inch she moved forward, the incredible weight of the hunter threatening to rip her body in two.

The marine heaved and swore, but eventually she saw his head pop up over the gap in the spires. _Come on, Kh'aan. A little more._ She pulled again and his shoulders rose and fell through the gap. As she readjusted the vine over her shoulder, an ominous tearing sound reached her ears. She glanced back and was horrified to see it beginning to break. "NO!" She gave one last yank, and Kh'aan's torso rose through the gap just as the vine snapped. Kayla fell on her face and felt her teeth sink into her lip, but the pain was secondary when she saw the hunter sliding back into the water. She dove forward and grasped his arm, bracing her feet against the spires.

"Please god, help me!"

She heaved until her shoulders ached, and just as her exhausted hands couldn't hold him anymore his upper torso bent forward, effectively locking him in the gap. Kayla released his hand wearily and fell back. With the exertion over and the sight of his limp body hanging before her eyes, the marine once again fell victim to her grief. She wailed mournfully while scooting back from the Yautja, and her vision blurred as the floodgates reopened. She was so unaware of her surroundings that she gasped in surprise when her backpedaling hands suddenly met air. Scrambling around in fright, the human stared down the mountain to the ocean not far below; she'd forgotten about the precarious outer edge of the ridge. She curled her knees up to her chest and rocked heavily, her eyes on the water though she did not see it.

_She felt his eyes boring into the back of her head and chuckled at the concern radiating from him. When he perched next to her she could tell he was trying to act unfazed. _

"_Not going to fall again, are we?"_

"_Not before you."_

"Not before me."

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_The hunter's eyes opened. He was surrounded by water. Memory came back to him rapidly, and Kh'aan thrashed in an effort to free himself. Only then did he notice that he was no longer entangled in furs. __**"Where am I? Where is Kayla?"**__ With his limbs free, he swam rapidly upwards from his current position. After several minutes without progress he stopped again. There seemed to be no end to the body of water, and he suddenly realized that he could not tell direction. At the same time he noticed that he was apparently not breathing, and when he tried nothing happened. __**"What is the meaning of this?"**__ Kh'aan hovered in place and tried to get some sort of bearing. He turned around in the water, and behind him he saw that there seemed to be light, though it's origin was a mystery. Assuming it was the surface, the hunter swam toward the light. _

_The brightness grew to almost blinding, and he stopped swimming to squint forward for some sort of explanation. __**"If this is our island, where is the mountain? Where is Kayla?" **__He sank deeper in the water while he hovered, and his feet abruptly touched ground. It felt like paved stone, and the hunter tentatively rested his weight on it. The light before him flared, and he stepped forward as though pulled on a string. The water shimmered in front of him, and after another step he suddenly stepped out of it onto a stone path. Kh'aan turned around and saw a wall of water, his confusion mounting when he wondered how it remained stationery. The mysterious forced pulled at him again as though anchored in his gut, and he proceeded down the narrow path. _

_Emptiness spread into infinity on either side, the air a grey, cool haze through which his eyes could not penetrate. He drifted forward, more gliding than walking, and the path turned to his left into a grove of thick, dark trees. As he moved beneath them he was suddenly shrouded in a heavy mist. It clung to his skin and felt oily in his pores. Kh'aan snarled in agitation, his discomfort growing in such strange surroundings. For a moment he attempted to turn around and go back, but he was helpless against whatever force compelled him forward. _

_Suddenly in the silence he heard an awful scream, full of anguish that ripped through his soul. The scream trailed off into sobbing cries, and after his heart lurched at the sound he knew exactly what it was. __**"Kayla."**__ His head snapped back and forth in a desperate attempt to catch sight of the human, but the agonizing wail seemed to come from all sides. He opened his mouth to call for her but nothing came out, and the hunter snarled again in frustration. He struggled against his forward motion, but was powerless to resist and continued to drift. _

_The mist parted abruptly and Kh'aan tripped forward to fall down a short rise of stairs. He landed face-first in dirt and leapt to his feet with a roar. Spinning in place he noticed that he was now on a short dirt path between towering mountains, their peaks were lost in high ominous clouds. Before him on the path was another dense pocket of mist, and through it he could see the reflection of a fire. The hunter took a tentative step forward, but jumped back immediately when a voice boomed down from the mountains._

"_**Who are you?"**_

_The voice seemed to penetrate right to his bones, and Kh'aan had to force his own to reflect strength and not the apprehension coursing through his veins. __**"I am Kh'aan, Firstborn to High Elder Kh'alik and Grand Matron Sh'aan of the…"**_

_The voice bounced off of the stone, silencing him in mid-sentence. __**"What are you doing here?"**_

_Kh'aan bristled with uncertainty, and it was evident in the tremor in his voice. __**"I…I am here to face your judgment, Black Warrior."**_

_The mist parted, and Kh'aan saw smoke rise from the fire within and take shape before him. Though it did not coalesce into tangible form, he made out the shape of an enormous black Yautja. Faint wisps of light smoke gave the impression of armor over the form and weapons at its side, but for the most part Kh'aan could see right through it. Glowing red eyes opened in the head of the apparition, and it glided forward ominously. __**"You will answer. What are you doing here?" **_

_The hunter's confusion was genuine, and he noticed motion on the face of the being as though it was smirking at him. He tried to summon his well known poise and control, but his voice was less than steady. __**"I…I drowned, Black Warrior. I am here to receive my judgment."**_

_Before he could react, the figure surged forward and grasped his jaw in a ghostly hand. Foreign feelings of rage and amusement flowed over his senses at the touch, and he growled in spite of himself. The being let out a chilling chuckle._

"_**Drowned, did you?"**__ The deity's breath burned across his face. __**"Do you still taste the water in your mouth?"**__ Kh'aan could only nod. __**"Feel burning pain in your chest?" **__The hunter winced and nodded again. __**"Do you see them?"**__ Kh'aan's head was jerked around by his jaw, and he saw that the trees behind him had disappeared, replaced with the wall of water that he had emerged from. But he saw nothing in the liquid and shook his head. The god snarled, his eyes tracking dozens of Yautja in various stages of drowning as they writhed in the hovering sea. __**"I did not think so."**_

_The spirit released Kh'aan's face and drifted back as though dismissing him. __**"Foolish pups. Spend their lives training to die, and yet know nothing of their species. Get back and await your turn."**_

_Kh'aan visibly shuddered, completely unhinged by the words and actions of the guardian of the afterlife. __**"My…turn? I do not understand."**_

_The being stopped and its head seemed to cock to the side. __**"You arrive unannounced and expecting my judgment, but you have yet to experience what I would ask of you. Await your turn."**_

_Before Kh'aan could protest further he felt something build in his chest, as though he was going to roar but could not get it out. The dark figure noticed his distress and glided back just as the hunter spit up a torrent of water. Kh'aan's eyes grew wide, but more water came up before he could question. Cetanu smiled. _

"_**Your ooman is lucky. She does not know what you should, and yet still manages to provide what you require." **_

_Kh'aan tried to raise his head, but the terrible sensation continued and impossible amounts of water erupted from his lungs in a continuous stream. He fell forward on his face, his arms unable to support him, but instead of dirt he felt his jaw hit stone._

His lungs heaved several more times before seemingly satisfied, and he took a deep but tentative breath. His senses were flooded with the scents of the island and he warily raised his eyes. He was wedged in between two spires on top of the volcano with his feet dangling in the water below, and he realized in horror that the entire valley was submerged. He hazarded another deep breath, and this one carried with it the scent of his companion. Immediately his head shot up and he spotted her at the edge of the ridge - _dangerously_ _close_ to the edge. Her scent was so heavy with despair that it was agony for him to breathe.

Kayla rocked on her heels, her body tipping closer to the precipice, and he saw her raise watering eyes to the sky as a whimper reached him on the wind. Kh'aan's legs flailed against the stone but he could not find purchase to pull himself up. His heart raced faster as she drifted closer and closer to the drop, and then her voice reached him.

"Not before me. Not before me."

He saw her close her eyes just as his claws hooked on the stone, and as her heels slid forward he launched himself across the space. A strangled cry escaped his throat as he dove desperately for the human, and he managed to grab her arm as she dropped over the edge. The female screamed at the unexpected halt to her descent and Kh'aan quickly pulled her back up to the ridge, rolling away from the edge with her cradled safely against his chest. Kayla thrashed in his grip and let out an inhuman howl, but he held fast to her flailing arms and purred deeply.

"Kayla! Stop! It is ok, it is just me. Please stop!" He was surprised how easily her language flowed from his mouth, but pushed aside that curiosity for the moment. At the sound of his voice the female froze, her terrified eyes turning slowly to meet his.

"K…Kh'aan?"

The hunter rubbed his lower jaw against the crown of her head. "Do not worry. It is ok."

She blinked rapidly and seemed to have difficulty forming words. "How? You're…you…how?"

Kh'aan struggled with his pride for a moment before he could make the admission. "Forgive me. I forgot." He took a deep breath and held her gaze. "It takes two days for Yautja to drown."

He felt her heartbeat skip erratically, and for a few seconds she didn't breathe. "Wh…what?"

His heart dropped into his stomach. "It takes two days…"

Faster than he could react, her fist came up and punched him square between his eyes. He snarled and his hand snapped out to grasp her wrist as she came at him again. "TWO DAYS? You're dead! You died, you bastard! I saw it! How could you do this to me! Let go of me! Fuck you! Let go! LET GO!"

Her shrieks and struggles tapered off into inconsolable sobs and she fell heavily against his chest. Unused to such a display, Kh'aan was momentarily at a loss what to do; his kind usually kept a firm grip on their strongest emotions. But her wrenching cries nearly tore him to pieces, and some level of personal instinct took over. He gently cupped her face in his hands and raised her gaze to his. He gasped at the flood of emotion that crossed through her eyes - relief, fear, despair like none he'd ever seen, and then her gaze darkened like clouds over a stormy sea. Her tears flowed freely and she raised shaking hands to mirror his gesture.

"That's twice," she whispered. "Two times that I've had to watch you die."

"Kayla…"

"Shut up. Know this…there will not be a third. Do you understand me? Don't you ever…" Her voice cracked and Kh'aan's purr deepened. "Never do that again. I will not wait."

Her words were stern, but her grip strengthened along his jaw into an almost possessive vice. His breath caught in his throat, and he felt a surge through his blood that he was afraid to acknowledge. Kayla's eyes eased shut and she turned into his hand. A wary smile grew on her face and she gently nuzzled his palm before again meeting his gaze. Kh'aan gently trailed his lower tusks along her jaw, and for once did not resist the strange feelings sparking through his heart like wildfire. She bit her lip, her eyes nervous but determined, and all he could think about was how much he feared losing her.

Just as he realized how fruitless it was to resist his growing feelings, Kayla's eyes widened and she let out a short gasp before slumping forward in his arms. Kh'aan froze in shock for a split second and then he frantically began shaking her.

"Kayla! Kayla, wake up!"

"**She will, eventually."**

The hunter's eyes snapped up to see a shimmering form materialize, and his brother's sneering face stared down at him.

"**Kh'val! What have you done?"**

"**No time for questions. Pick her up."**

Kh'aan prepared to do the exact opposite, the urge to rip Kh'val's head from his shoulders too strong to ignore. **"I will kill you!"**

"**Of course you will. Now, pick her up, or I will leave you both to be swamped with what remains of your pathetic little island paradise."** The Arbitrator opened a hologram on his computer that revealed another surge approaching the island. Kh'aan snarled at the image before warily meeting his brother's eyes.

Kh'val smirked. **"Pick her up. Now."**

Kh'aan shuddered and then slowly scooped up the unconscious human. As he rose to his feet the Arbitrator's vessel de-cloaked behind them, and Kh'val stepped aside with a sneer as the ramp lowered.

"**After you, **_**brother."**_

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	36. Chapter 36

AN: Thanks to all who continue to read, review and enjoy! You guys are my fuel. I hope this chap continues to entertain you all. -Cap'n Razz

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**_A Fine Mess_**

_Chapter 36 - Prisoner_

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The Arbitrator's vessel raced at top speed to cut off the _Mhneschk_. His sensors indicated that the creature had finally slowed down, and he knew that his only chance to intercept was slipping away. Though the engines creaked and whined in protest, he had no choice but to push them past their limit. Kh'val snarled at a blinking light on the console, indicating messages that he was of no mind to take at the moment. He was so fixated on finding his brother that all other input was ignored.

After four days with his eyes glued to the viewport Kh'val awoke to find himself on the floor, and he reluctantly set automatic navigation to take over. He had been avoiding sleep like it was a vicious beast, and even now with his eyes ready to close in the corridor, he was wary to face any dreams that may manifest. He stumbled into his chambers and collapsed onto his pallet, asleep before he hit the furs.

_Jungle. Hot steamy jungle. The favorite place for a Yautja to hunt. He crept through the brush - his only weapon a double-bladed spear, his only covering a tattered loin cloth. The Arbitrator felt wild, like many of the creatures he'd hunted before pursuing his own kind, and he let out a yowl before stalking forward through the trees. His cry rustled small animals from hiding and birds from the treetops, but he was hunting something more substantial. _

_A scent reached him on the breeze and he recognized his prey. The beast roared and charged forward, and his heavy steps roused his quarry from its sanctuary. A dash of heat crossed his vision and raced away, but he was faster. He leapt over the brush and charged after the creature, his skin slick with moisture from the trees, his loins taut with lust. The human darted to the right and he heard her charge through a stream. Pausing to track her, he did not hear the sound of wet feet on soil and realized that she was attempting to hide in the water. _

_He stalked through the bushes to the bank of a narrow stream, easy to step across but appearing deep enough to hide a submerged body. His mandibles twitched in anticipation, and he jumped into the water while stabbing down his spear. It sank into the soil unobstructed, and so he stomped forward jabbing the weapon into the bed of the stream. After a short distance the stream suddenly erupted and the human leapt up to run into the trees. Dropping his spear, Kh'val charged after her and tackled the female to the ground. She screamed and howled like a deranged beast, sending surges through the male's blood that made him shudder. Short blunt claws tried to gouge out his eyes, but his superior strength pinned her beneath his bulk. _

_He leaned forward to breathe in her sent, and the female lashed up bearing her teeth. She grasped his right lower mandible and violently wrenched her head back and forth in attempt to rip it off. Kh'val roared and clamped one hand around her throat, the other slashing wildly at her coverings. The human thrashed in his grip but it only fueled his ardor. He tore the flimsy material from her soft body and buried his face in her throat, relishing in the scent of fear and pain that soaked her skin. The human whimpered, and then began screaming again as he forced her to her stomach and raised her hips. Her sounds sent fire through his veins, and he thrust into her without concern or remorse. The screams turned into wails of agony that he relished, and the Arbitrator lost all control. He gouged his talons into her back and wrapped his fingers around her spine before throwing back his head in a triumphant roar…_

Kh'val awoke with a start, his heartbeat racing and mandibles clattering in agitation. For a moment he thought that the ringing in his head was from the dream, but then he realized that it was the proximity alarm. He raced from his chambers and skidded to a halt in the control room.

Filling the viewport was the _Mhneschk_, passing dangerously close to a large and highly unstable star. Their proximity appeared to be tearing the creature apart, and its usually uniform exterior seemed nothing more than a drifting mist. Lightning raced across the surface of the anomaly, and at times Kh'val swore that he could see straight through it.

"**Perhaps this will work to my advantage." **

He sent a short message to the clan ship that he had found Kh'aan's lair, and then rushed to engineering to adjust the settings for traveling through the beast. The only thing that worried him was destroying his ship before he could see the defeat on Kh'aan's face. Once satisfied that his modifications were ready, he returned to the control room and strapped himself into the command chair. Flexing his fingers, he switched over to manual control and eased in.

Passing through the surface set him on edge; he'd been expecting to be enveloped and instead crossed the boundary unhindered. The interior of the creature was in chaos, with lightning dancing through the ether and unusual energy waves disrupting navigation. When the sensors indicated no forward resistance, he directed more power to the engines and hoped that the exhaust system would hold.

After what seemed like hours of flying through the storm, the Arbitrator suddenly punched through into a void. Before him hovered a tiny planetoid, and he knew that he'd found his brother. Without waiting to run a systems check, he quickly set the ship into orbit and began scanning. He expected to find some sort of jungle planet with shelter for the wayward fugitives, and so was surprised to see a world covered with water.

His orbit took him around the planet, and after scanning he realized why there seemed to be no land on the surface. An enormous rift had opened in the planet's crust, and molten rock from its core was erupting beneath the surface of the sea. It displaced the sea level on a drastic scale, and he saw surges flow out from the rift before dissipating. He figured that one wave must have swamped everything before he arrived.

Another pass around the planet sent the sensors into an uproar and he pinpointed the location. Two life forms had been detected on a ring of stone, though one was very faint. The thought of losing one of his targets weight heavily on the Arbitrator for a moment, but he shook off the question in favor of retrieving them first. He banked into the atmosphere and headed for the stone ring. After a few more minutes he finally spotted the formation, and was close enough for the sensors to distinguish the life signs.

The human was alive. Kh'aan, it seemed, was not.

"**Pauk! This is not how the chase was supposed to end!" **He programmed the ship to hover over the ridge, and then leaned forward with his elbows on the console. Something was itching in his mind at the sight of his brother's body bobbing in the water, and after an extended debate he rose and left the control room.

The Arbitrator retrieved his gauntlet and mask and headed for the access hatch. If he was to make a decision worthy of explanation to the Council, it would be worth his time to check out the situation first hand. When the hatch opened he leapt down to the stone, checking over his shoulder to be sure that the ship remained cloaked. Then, unable to delay any longer, he turned toward the ridge.

An agonizing wail reached him on the wind, and when he found the source was surprised to see that the human had retrieved Kh'aan's body. A small, uncorrupted part of his soul ached at the despair in her voice, but it was overruled with a snort of derision. _That pathetic creature actually mourns you, brother._ He scanned the hunter and remembered what had been teasing his memory. _Mourns pointlessly, I might add._

Kh'val approached watching the female struggle to pull Kh'aan out of the water, his mandibles clamped tightly shut against the flood of laughter that tried to escape. When she finally succeeded in wedging him between the stones, the Arbitrator resisted the urge to knock him back into the sea. Suddenly his computer beeped, and he was startled to see an enormous wave crossing the planet at high speed. He glanced back up at Kh'aan and snarled quietly.

"**Hurry up, brother. On your feet."**

A whimper reached him, and Kh'val turned his gaze to the human. Even in her drenched and despairing state, his blood sang at the sight of her. No creation in his mind could have come close to the creature before him, and his loins grew tight for a suffocating heartbeat before he shook himself out of his thoughts. He flipped his mask to the light spectrum to see her clearly. _I did not expect such a fit specimen, nor one of her particular color. I have seen many different kinds of oomans, but most have been either pale-skins or very dark. Hers would make finely cured leather. _

Kh'val snorted and looked away. Another voice spoke up in his mind and made him cringe. _**If there is any skin left when you are done with her, hmmm?**_

His eyes found her again, and he watched emotions cross her face in rapid succession. _She thinks he is dead. She is going to take her own life because of it! Foolish female!_ When she started rocking on her heels he took a hesitant step forward, not willing to lose his prize. A strangled cry stopped him, and Kh'val turned around just in time to step out of Kh'aan's path. The hunter dove forward for the female just as she tipped over the edge, and the cloaked Arbitrator growled in spite of himself. _Do not tell me you actually care about this creature._

He did his best to ignore their increasingly disturbing display of affection, but when his scanner beeped again he knew that they were out of time. Tapping in a command, he loaded a tranquilizer into his gauntlet and shot the human in the back of her neck. It took everything he had to maintain some sort of composure in the face of Kh'aan's panic.

"Kayla! Kayla, wake up!"

"**She will, eventually."**

########

Kh'aan stepped warily into the Arbitrator's ship, his instincts begging him to flee even though there was nowhere else to go. Kh'val's scent bordered on ecstatic, and the thought of what had him so energized made the hunter's skin crawl. He unconsciously held the human a little tighter and proceeded through the engineering deck. He felt cold, and was surprised how easily he had acclimated to terrestrial life when by choice he preferred space. As they passed a viewport his eyes were drawn to the ocean below, just in time to see the approaching wave completely obliterate the remains of their island. _For once he did not lie - why does that make me feel worse?_

Kh'val caught a strange longing in his brother's eyes as he gazed at the planet, and was mildly disgusted by it. **"You have changed, brother. You have grown weak in your time with this female. How disappointing."**

Kh'aan turned to him with a glare that promised infinite suffering. **"I am pleased to disappoint you, Bad Blood."**

The Arbitrator snarled but said nothing, instead gesturing for the hunter to keep moving. Internally he warred with himself over what to do now that he had captured the fugitives. Grand Matron Sh'aan and High Elder Kh'alik were adamant that he return them alive, but Elder Ne'hak would certainly have his head if the Arbitrator did not concede to his demands.

Kh'val snarled and directed his brother to the right with a poke of his wristblades. _I should have ignored Elder Ne'hak…but that would prove more trouble than this traitor's life is worth. __**Her scent is sweeter than before. **__Shut up! Not now!_

Kh'aan winced inwardly at the strength of Kh'val's scent. It fluctuated erratically between rage and amusement, and beneath everything else he caught a trace of lust. He had not missed his brother's extended study of Kayla as they entered the ship, and the former Firstborn hoped that he would have the strength to protect her from a rapidly degenerating Arbitrator. His worried thoughts were interrupted by a sharp jab in his back. Kh'aan stopped and waited for Kh'val's direction, snarling at the fact that he had to obey the twisted brute.

The Arbitrator punched a code into a panel in the wall that Kh'aan had not seen, and a hidden door opened on his right. The hunter heard an amused chitter from behind his back that made his hackles raise. When he turned to face Kh'val, he was grinning like a Hard Meat ready to strike.

"**Put her down."** He gestured to a small bench against the wall and Kh'aan growled, tightening his grip.

"**No."**

Kh'val sneered and stepped forward, his blades jutting out so fast that Kh'aan did not have time to react. They pressed against the human's throat just enough to cut her skin.

"**Put her down now."**

A roar caught in Kh'aan's chest at the sight of Kayla's blood, sounding more like a strangled growl, and he locked his furious gaze with the Arbitrator. Kh'val added a small amount of pressure, and it took everything Kh'aan had to lower his eyes in submission. He turned his back and carefully rested her on the bench, one talon lightly brushing her cheek. _If he touches you I will not be responsible for my actions._ He stood to his full height and turned to face his brother, arms crossed and feet firmly planted.

The Arbitrator dragged his gaze from the human with some difficulty, and the amount of hostility in Kh'aan's gaze nearly gave him pause. Only the knowledge that he acted on the orders of the council strengthened his willpower, and Kh'val stepped out of the way of the door.

"**Out."**

Kh'aan visibly balked, his stance faltering for a moment before he let out a grating snarl. **"Absolutely not. You do not fool me, Kh'val. You will have to kill me if you want me to leave her alone, at ****your**** disposal."**

Kh'val growled and stepped up until he was toe to toe with his brother. **"Correction…I will not hesitate to kill ****her**** if you disobey me. The Council has no interest in your ooman, only the Grand Matron and our sire wish for me to return with the ****both**** of you. But by all means, resist if you want her to die. I will take great pleasure in it." **To emphasize his point, the Arbitrator punched a command into his computer. The air filters whirred to a stop and Kh'aan immediately noticed the air growing thinner. Knowing that humans required a slightly different breathing mix, any change in oxygen content could easily kill his companion. His eyes snapped to her and he noticed her breathing already growing strained. He hissed vehemently at his brother, but knew that the arrogant Arbitrator had won this battle. With hesitant steps he inched toward the door.

Kh'val smiled behind his mask and reactivated the air processor. Kh'aan's discomfort made him want to howl with glee, but now was not the time to gloat. Once the former Firstborn was in the door frame, Kh'val planted a foot in his back and kicked him out of the room. Kh'aan whirled around with a snarl, but the Arbitrator was already in the corridor with the door sliding shut behind him. It took all of the hunter's control to keep from throttling his brother.

Kh'val grinned inwardly and backed down the corridor to another panel. The door slid open to reveal another cell, nearly identical to the human's though the bench was on the opposite side of the room. The Arbitrator gave an elaborate bow and gestured inside. **"Sit, brother. We should talk."**

Kh'aan eased past him as though he oozed some foul substance. He marched into the cell and stood against the wall opposite the bench. The Arbitrator snorted and sat down, his expression one of infinite patience. Kh'aan grew angrier with each passing second and finally he growled.

"**I have nothing to say to you, Kh'val. You are the traitor, not me."**

"**I?"** Kh'val chittered as though he'd made a joke. **"I am not the one who abandoned our clan for an inferior species. I did not steal a ship and attack a representative of the Council of Elders. I am not rutting an ooman."**

Kh'aan roared and lunged forward, claws aching to tear the Arbitrator apart. Kh'val spun out of the seat and out of Kh'aan's path, swinging back with his gauntleted wrist to whack the furious hunter in the back of his skull. Kh'aan stumbled into the wall but immediately bounced back, his crest bristling as testament to his fury. The Arbitrator dodged another lunge from his brother and then grasped his tresses as he passed, spinning him around to pull the surprised hunter down face-first into his knee. Kh'aan stumbled back in a daze, and was too slow to block the thunderous fist that planted squarely on the side of his head. His vision flashed before everything went black.

Kh'val shook out his stinging hand and quickly disarmed the unconscious hunter. Such a blow, if executed correctly, hit a sensitive nerve cluster in the Yautja brain that immediately incapacitated the recipient. Unfortunately, the target was beneath a plate of bone that made a successful hit damaging to the deliverer as well. Once certain that he had not broken any fingers, the Arbitrator backed out of the room and locked the door.

"**Fool. You have lost. Accept it."**

He turned down the corridor toward the access stairs, but paused and glanced back at the cell doors. His mandibles tapped rapidly in his indecision, and then he snorted and approached the last cell. The door hissed open silently and his eyes rested on the unconscious human. Her scent filled the small room, and he hesitantly removed his mask to take a deep breath. A chill traveled the Arbitrator's spine, and he drifted forward as though his feet had a mind of their own. When he reached the bench he had to physically restrain his hands behind his back, but he could not resist leaning forward until his tusks brushed her hair, breathing deeply again. His gaze fixed on her closed eyes, and he wondered if he was truly going mad.

"**You are an evil temptation, one that I fear I might not be strong enough to resist. I hope for your sake that the Council orders you both executed on the spot."**

He shuddered and quickly stepped back out of the room. Images from recent dreams flooded his mind, and the Arbitrator swore he could hear Cetanu laughing. Mustering what remained of his sanity and confidence, Kh'val headed for the control room anxious to get out of the disintegrating _Mhneschk_.

########

"_**Fire in reserve fuel cell. Deactivate. Fire in reserve fuel cell. Deactivate. Fire…"**_

Kh'val turned off the alarm with a snarl and reattached his death grip to the controls. The return trip out of the _Mhneschk_ was proving to be more troublesome than the journey in. Where before the creature was a hazy cloud of gasses and lightning, now the energy waves seemed to ripple through it in frequent cycles. His sensors picked them up only seconds before they struck the ship, leaving him little time to bank out of the way or re-polarize the hull. It was obvious now that the creature was destabilizing, and he did not want to be within it for the finale.

Another light began blinking rapidly on the console as Kh'val sent the ship into a dive. An enormous mass of electricity had suddenly formed directly in his path, and he knew it would short out every system if he connected with it. The sensors and proximity alarms wailed all around as he pulled hard at the controls, pulling the ship out of what had nearly become a fatal maneuver. The engines whined in protest, the vessel shook around him, he wondered if this entire mission had been a mistake, and then suddenly they were free.

The Arbitrator's ship burst out of the anomaly just as another wave of electricity surged through the ether. The _Mhneschk_ flared brightly and nearly doubled in size for a brief moment, and then it abruptly collapsed, imploding on itself until nothing remained but empty space. Kh'val released the controls with some difficulty and leaned back in the command chair. He felt his heartbeat racing out of control, and decided at that moment that nothing would stop him from going directly to sleep. As he stepped wearily out of the control room, however, a loud roar echoed throughout the ship and vibrated the bulkheads. He groaned and pounded a fist on the wall.

"**After this assignment is over, I ****will**** take a much needed break."**

After engaging the repair system and setting a leisurely course for the clan ship, Kh'val stormed down to the holding cells. Kh'aan was making quite a racket from within his cell - mostly threats of painful death - and the Arbitrator took several deep breaths in an effort to remain calm. When the door hissed open, Kh'aan stormed forward snarling.

"**Let me out of here! Where is Kayla!"**

Kh'val snorted and shook his weary head. **"You are my prisoner. I will not. She is here. Stop that juvenile noise!"**

Kh'aan was momentarily shocked, not only by the lack of aggression in his brother, but in his short rebuke. It was not like Kh'val to avoid an argument. **"You coward!"**

That got the Arbitrator's attention, and Kh'val turned to the hunter with a snarl. **"Mind your words, Kh'aan. Until we reach the clan ship, you both are ****mine****."**

Kh'val turned for the door but Kh'aan would not be dismissed so quickly. He grasped his brothers shoulder and jerked him back around. **"Where is she!"**

"**Your pathetic pet is around. That is all I choose to tell you. Perhaps she is alive, perhaps she already adorns my trophy wall. You will not know until we arrive at the clan ship. Now shut up or I will be forced to knock you out again."**

Kh'aan took a step back, his tresses bristling in his rage, but before he could make a move Kh'val turned with startling speed and landed another hit to his skull. This time the Arbitrator was exhausted from the day's activities, and could only muster enough force to knock Kh'aan back and bruise his own hand. Taking advantage of the space, Kh'val beat a hasty retreat.

Kh'aan roared weakly, but his head was pounding too much and he slumped to the floor in the corner. _If she is harmed, brother, I will leave no scrap of you larger than a talon._

########

Muted light filtered through her eyelids, dragging Kayla out of a drug-induced stupor that left her body aching and lower jaw numb. She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze resting on a metallic corner above her head. _No…that's the ceiling meeting the wall. Ok, the brain is working._ She turned her head carefully to take in the rest of the room. Four shiny metal walls enclosed her, but aside from a grate in the floor everything was uniformly smooth and seamless. She scanned the surfaces for a door but could not even see a crack to indicate one. After an extended effort the marine managed to sit up, and she stretched forward to her toes until her back cracked. Taking a deep breath, she swung her legs to the edge of the large bench she was sitting on. _Giant furniture equals Yautja furniture._ With that thought swirling in her mind, recent events came back in abundance and Kayla growled.

_Psycho brother would be my guess._

She winced at the pins and needles that began to lance through her face, and then hopped down from the bench to take a look around. Her initial assessment was reinforced when she examined the walls up close. They might as well have been poured into place. She ran her hands along the surface but they were smooth as glass, and after tapping on several spots she wondered if they were sound, vibration, and everything else-proof as well. _Great! So am I on a ship or have I been left to drift through space in a box?_

The human groaned and contemplated shouting for attention, but the only one she wanted to see was Kh'aan and the thought of encountering his brother instead turned her stomach. Frustrated and without options, Kayla slumped down on the floor in a huff and rolled feeling back into her jaw. _Arrogant bastard! Kicking us when we're down? Where's the honor in that? _Her mind was instantly assaulted by memories of the island, and it took all of her willpower to keep from breaking down. _Where is Kh'aan? He was alive, right? He woke up…or did I dream it? Maybe I'm dead and this is hell. No…hell wouldn't be cold. Where is he? Did psycho bro kill him? Is he here somewhere? _The human groaned and rolled to her stomach on the floor, her eyes finding the grate she'd noticed before. _Wondering where he is will not get me out of here. I should be looking for a door. In solid steel, or whatever this is…right. _Snorting out a sigh, Kayla folded her arms under her head and stared into the darkness beyond the vent. A faint breeze met her nose inches from the floor, and for a startling moment she caught the scent of the ocean. Curious and desperate, she pressed her nose into the grating and took a deep breath. Mixed with the smells of ship, oil and dust, there again was the scent of the sea…and beneath it the musky aftertaste of Kh'aan.

Kayla didn't think twice. She wedged her fingers into the vent and pulled, surprised when it came free so easily that she flew backwards into the wall. The marine scrambled back over and peered down into the hole. The darkness was almost complete, but after squinting she was able to make out a glare from somewhere deep within the ship. Wedging her hands down into the duct, she estimated the hole to be less than two feet wide and barely eight inches high. _Tight squeeze, kiddo. Good thing we've been sort of starving, huh?_

Before logic could inform her of how idiotically foolish her idea was, the human flattened onto her back at the entrance to the hole. Another deep breath told her where the ocean scent was coming from, and she eased into the duct head first. Kayla had to turn her face to the side to avoid scraping her nose, but once she got her shoulders through the vent the rest of her body fit with relative ease. She wiggled her shoulders to worm further into the tube, and only after her foot hit the metal with a smack did she hazard a breath. _I'm insane, I'm insane! I'm gonna die in here! __**Move it, Marine! Follow your nose!**_

Inch by inch Kayla wiggled through the narrow duct. _Right shoulder - left shoulder - right hip - left hip - right heel - left heel - repeat. _She chanted the movements in her mind in an effort to ignore exactly how cramped she was. Without the room to turn her head she could not see where the tube went, and only hoped that she did not meet a dead end or turn. An old military march popped into her head and threatened to vocalize, but she bit her tongue to keep silent. If the Arbitrator found her he would have ample reason to skewer her or flush the ducts or something else just as heinous, and that would defeat the whole purpose of turning herself into a human slug.

The further she went, the longer the duct seemed. Kayla's shoulders and hips ached from the awkward movement and uncomfortable abrasion, and she was starting to feel the effect of having so little room to breathe. _What if I passed him? What if there isn't a vent in his room? Fuck! I'm gonna die in…_Her thoughts were cut off when her hair suddenly got stuck. She twitched her head in an effort to release it, and finally had to push up further in order to break free. What she saw nearly made her cry out.

The marine's eyes peered through a small grate nearly identical to the one in her own cell. The chamber looked similar as well, and directly above her eyes was an enormous green and brown thigh. Ocean wafted over her nose again and she would have cheered if not for the pressure on her chest.

_Hellooo drowned rat!_

########

Kh'aan brooded quietly in his cell, yearning to tear his brother apart but not willing to face him just yet. He wanted nothing more than to demand that Kayla be brought to him, but he knew that Kh'val would never listen. _He would probably torture her in front of me just to make me suffer._ The thought made him both bitter and fearful. _**He could be torturing her right now.**_

"Pssst!"

The hunter's head snapped up.

"Kh'aan!"

He surged to his feet and spun in place. _Am I going insane? Why am I hearing her voice?_ He growled and stared at the door, as though expecting Kh'val to be playing games on the other side.

"Kh'aan, down here!"

The hunter turned to the sound, and could not hold in a chirp of surprise when a blunt little nose poked through the floor grating.

"A little help, huh?"

Kh'aan stumbled to his knees and violently ripped the grate out of the floor. There, in a space too small to hold her, was Kayla's face beaming up at him. His heart fluttered erratically though he could not tell if it was from fear or relief.

"How…"

"How about helping me out first, and we'll Q&A later?" Kh'aan shook his emotions back down and watched as she carefully eased her head out of the duct. She rolled her shoulders to carefully work them through the opening, and once free he grasped them gently and pulled. She was tightly wedged and his grip kept slipping until both of her hands were free. Then she helped by pushing while he pulled and she abruptly popped out of the vent. They toppled to the floor in a heap.

Kh'aan stared at the human sprawled across his chest with a mixture of confusion and relief in his eyes. "How did you fit in there?"

She peered up at him and smiled through a layer of dust before rolling to her feet. "I have many skills."

Kh'aan watched as she started looking around his cell for an escape route. After a minute he shook his head and rose to his feet, snaring the pacing marine in a suffocating hug. "Crazy ooman."

Kayla smiled into his chest and stretched her arms as far around his waist as she could reach. "Yeah, well, you like me that way." She clung to him for another contented moment before her head snapped up. "So what say we get out of here and give psycho brother what for, huh?"

She pulled at his grip but Kh'aan tightened his hold, pulling her down to the floor with him. Kayla's eyes were determined and confused, but the hunter only scooted back against the wall and cradled her against his chest. He told himself that it was just to give the female some comfort, but a growing part of him did not want to let her go again, ever.

"Hey, if we don't move soon he'll catch us."

The hunter grunted before lightly flicking her ear. "We cannot."

"Why not? If there's a chance that we can take him, shouldn't we try?"

Kh'aan huffed and closed his eyes. Such persistence would seem foolhardy if he had not been given the time to become acquainted with this particular human. Kayla was nothing if not brave and if he did not believe that before, he was certain now after her reckless adventure in a tube nearly too small for her. Something shifted in the warrior, as though a wall he'd never noticed had suddenly crumbled. The purr that spontaneously grew within him was unexpected but not unwelcome, and he tightened his grip on the human while twirling his mandibles in her hair. The tension in her shoulders faded rapidly and she made a small sound as she settled into his arms.

"You're distracting me," she muttered breathlessly. "Answer the question."

He took a moment to clarify his answer and then cleared his throat. "There is a chance that the Council will let us go. A small chance." Her eyes rose to meet his and he continued. "If we try to escape, or kill Kh'val, they will declare us Bad Bloods and send every Arbitrator, hunter and Bad Blood after us. We will have no chance."

Kayla gulped and a shiver coursed through her. "So we just sit here like good little prisoners and hope that they see the error of their ways? Great." She glanced up at the wall separating their cells and growled. "Well I'm not going back in there. If he wants to play with his new toy he'll have to find me first. I'll spend the rest of the trip in that duct if I have to."

Kh'aan snorted in the face of the rage that grew within him. "You are not a toy, Kayla. I will kill him if he touches you again."

Her eyes shot up to meet his. "What do you mean, 'again'?"

He raised a finger and lightly touched the cut on her throat. Kayla winced and her hand shot up to feel dried blood. She let out a snarl worthy of a Yautja and her jaw clenched. "Oh no…That sick, perverted bastard is mine to dismember! You'll just have to settle for leftovers."

Kh'aan chuckled and pulled her back against his chest. "If you leave me anything."

They laughed together at the mental image of Kh'val being torn apart, but then the marine was reminded of another recent oddity in their lives. She did not met his eyes, but instead grasped his hand in both of hers and seemed to study them side by side.

"Um…I don't mean to be rude or ungrateful or anything, but…" A chitter from the hunter caused her to lose her train of thought for a second before she got back on track. "Why can you suddenly speak so clearly?"

Her heat spiked for a moment and she kept her gaze on his fingers. Rather than force her to look up, Kh'aan rested his jaw on Kayla's head and shrugged. "A gift, perhaps."

"Gift?"

The hunter grunted and raised his hand to work out a knot in her messy hair. Once it came loose he huffed out a sigh. "I do not question. I believe I know, but I do not want to lose the gift, so I will not ask."

Kayla frowned for a moment before an old saying sprung to mind - _Don't look a gift horse in the mouth._ "Ok. I won't ask either."

The fugitives settled in comfortably and waited for the inevitable arrival of a furious Arbitrator.

####


	37. Chapter 37

AN: Greetings! Sorry for the delay. There comes a point when you have to say "it's fine, print, that's a wrap!" And you have no idea how many different ways this chapter came out before I reached the final product. Won't give details, but you'd probably be happy and hate me at the same time if I'd gone with the original idea! Hugs and sloppy kisses from da Cap'n! (Oh yeah, and no offense to Elvis people...)

p.s. I just realized while re-reading for the last time that all 3 buttons are in use...gimpy as that sounds. so...

**Bold is Yautja Speak**

_Italics is thought or dream_

Underline stands for stressing that word in speech

########

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 37 –Jailhouse Rock  
_

"_**I have found the Firstborn's location. I will contact you when I have him in my custody."**_

Grand Matron Sh'aan replayed the message for a sixth time, hearing the words but unable to accept them. The Arbitrator's tone suggested that it would not be easy to acquire his target, and the regal female found herself hoping that it proved impossible. It was not unheard of for an Arbitrator's quarry to elude him, and she hoped that Kh'aan and his companion were clever enough to do so. _I would prefer to never see him again than have my Firstborn returned in chains that he does not deserve. _

Her thoughts were interrupted by a quiet chirp from somewhere over her shoulder. Sh'aan turned to meet the concerned eyes of her faithful assistant, and before speaking the aide placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"**Do not worry, Grand Matron. They will be fine."**

Sh'aan shuddered and rose from her seat. **"I wish that I shared your confidence, Mr'sah. I cannot help but think that we have lost them."**

"**You must remain positive, Grand Matron. We cannot know the future until it happens; there is no logic in fearing it."**

Sh'aan nodded, but her stance remained rigid with tension. They stood in an extended silence while the frustrated leader stared out of her viewport. **"It is not knowing their future that frightens me. If only I knew the Council's decision with certainty…" **She closed her eyes and huffed out an exhausted breath. **"There is nothing that I can do."**

Mr'sah heard the despair in her superior's voice, and took a step back toward the door feeling helpless to assist. **"I will continue to monitor all frequencies, Grand Matron. As soon as I hear more I will inform you." **She bowed respectfully and then hurried out of the room, nearly colliding with High Elder Kh'alik in her haste.

"**Forgive me, High Elder."**

Kh'alik barely grunted in response before marching into the Grand Matron's chambers. Mr'sah snorted. _This is not the time for unannounced guests._ Her theory was answered by a loud growl from the room, and the aide quickly left the area to search for Shl'nar.

########

"**I am in no mood, Kh'alik. Please return at another time."**

"**This is imperative, Sh'aan. You received Kh'val's message, so you know that we must act quickly."**

The Grand Matron whirled on her former consort, rage surrounding her like a cloud. **"Act on what, Kh'alik? Our ability to influence events has passed. There is nothing that we can do but wait for the Council to require our input. Exactly what course of action do you believe we can take at this moment?"** Her eyes flashed, and Kh'alik realized that even the poised Grand Matron was at the end of her wits.

"**We can contact Kh'val and ensure that he has them, rather than finding out when it is too late."**

"**Too late? It is already too late, Kh'alik!"** Sh'aan's voice rose in her agitation and a heavy snarl punctuated her words. **"We squandered our time arguing amongst ourselves, and now it is out of our hands. We will be lucky if Kh'val follows orders and returns them alive as it is. We are completely at a loss. We…"**

Elder Kh'alik stepped forward and grasped her shoulders. The Grand Matron struggled in his grip for a moment before her body sagged, nearly reducing her to his height**. "I want them to get away."** Her voice was small and the High Elder was unsure if he heard her correctly.

"**What?"**

Sh'aan's eyes rose to meet his. ** "I want them to escape. Is that too much to ask?"**

He released her shoulders and stepped back, his gaze dropping to the floor. **"Yes, it is. Kh'aan would never attempt it, especially not if Kh'val actually apprehends him. He knows that to do so would be suicide."**

Sh'aan snorted and turned away to the viewport. **"This entire situation is suicide, and he threw himself and the ooman right into it."**

Kh'alik started to speak when the realization hit him that their arguments were reversing for the first time since this mess started. He thought his words through carefully. **"Several weeks ago I would have agreed with you, but now I am not so sure. Kh'aan never had any intention of returning, did he? Theirs was a reckless chance at life, not suicide."**

"**For any other Yautja, perhaps, but not for Kh'aan. He has always been cautious nearly to the point of paranoia. Reckless is not his way."** The Grand Matron turned and raised her troubled eyes to his. **"I must speak with him before he faces the Council."**

"**All is not lost, Sh'aan. We may still have a chance."**

########

Light filtered through the Arbitrators eyelids, drawing him out of his first dreamless slumber in weeks. Kh'val had taken no chances before retiring to his chambers, and a full syringe of sedative had granted him brief respite from his internal battles. Against his better judgment, he cracked his eyes open to stare at the overhead lighting. The desire to roll over and go back to sleep gnawed at his consciousness, but instead he growled heavily and heaved to his feet. _There will be no rest until this is finished._

After a quick detour to the meal chamber, he shuffled into the control room and gracelessly dropped into the command chair. His eyes slid over the console as though he'd never seen it before, and he absently adjusted a few settings before returning them to their standard positions. His mind fretted over why he felt so distracted, but before he could draw a conclusion the comm. received a transmission. Activating the device, Kh'val came face to face with Elder Ne'hak.

"**Honored Elder, how may I assist you?"** The Arbitrator could not muster more strength into his voice, and for a brief moment the Elder's expression softened.

"_**This is most trying for you, is it not?" **_

"**I am weary, Honored Elder, that is all."**

Ne'hak nodded once, and then his features hardened again. _**"You have them both?"**_

Kh'val nodded. **"I will arrive at the clan ship in six days."**

The time frame seemed to surprise the head of Nightblood Clan. _**"So far removed? It is a testament to your perseverance, Arbitrator, that you found him at all."**_

Kh'val choked on a snarl. _No thanks to you._ ** "I will contact you again when I am within range of the clan ship."**

The moment the transmission ended Kh'val slammed a fist into the console and smashed the targeting controls. **"Pauk!" **Fury surged through is veins, and the Arbitrator immediately rose to his feet and marched down to the holding cells. _Pauking arrogant fool! _His fury got the best of him and he punched the wall, bruising his knuckles on the metal. _Pauking Kh'aan! _The thought of his brother boiled his blood, and he kicked the door to the cell block before storming down the stairs. _Pauking ooman!_ Suddenly his rage cleared and his steps ground to a halt as he stared at the cell doors.

"**What am I doing?"** His mind was assaulted by images of the human, and he turned and left the cell block before he could put any of the disturbingly enticing ideas into action.

"**Pauk!"**

########

Kh'aan relaxed as the footsteps retreated, and moments later he heard the hiss of the outer door closing. He'd been lost in his own thoughts when his brother's steps thundered through the ship, and now felt the chilly fingers of unease creep up his spine. _What are you up to, Kh'val? Do I even want to know what goes on in your twisted mind?_ As though hearing his thoughts, Kayla shifted in his lap and growled under her breath. A smile crossed his features and the hunter purred until her breathing returned to normal.

"**Reading my mind in your sleep, crazy ooman?"**

Sitting cross-legged as he was, the female fit perfectly on his lap with her feet anchored against his leg and her arms curled against his stomach. _Strange how this could be so comfortable to me. It was not long ago that I hated all oomans equally and without remorse. _His gaze traveled along her curled form, and with nothing else to do he found himself curious to explore. Tentatively he released one hand from around her waist and brought it up to her shoulder. The hunter chittered briefly before he gently pressed a talon to her arm. He watched the heat radiate from beneath his claw as he increased pressure, but he was surprised that he did not puncture the surface. _Oomans are so easy to damage, and yet a gentle touch shows the strength of their skin. Interesting. _He released the pressure and gently rubbed the spot until its heat returned to normal. Fueled by this initial discovery, he then reached up to carefully touch the hair he so frequently found himself playing with. Rubbing the thin strands through his fingers, he marveled at the vast difference from his own. _What purpose could such thin and insensitive fur possibly have? It has never made much sense to me why their genetics would include something so seemingly pointless. _He tugged gently at a few strands and the female twitched in his lap, her neck moving as though to pull her head out of his reach. _Perhaps it is somewhat sensitive then, but only where attached. _

His curiosity running rampant, Kh'aan carefully continued his exploration. An impulse gave him the brief courage needed to move the human, until her head gently lolled back against his arm. She moaned quietly and turned toward him, her breath warm on his chest. From this angle he could study her face up close. _So smooth, ooman faces, and yet beneath that skin…the mechanics behind each of her strange ooman emotions. I suppose without tusks and an adequate sense of smell, their odd features are the best alternative. _He released his hold around her legs and raised his other hand, curious exactly how aware humans were in their sleep. Reaching forward with a talon, he carefully poked the tip of her nose. Almost immediately Kayla reached up to bat his hand away. He poked her cheek next and received the same response. Holding back a chuckle, the hunter used all of his control to very gently disturb the small patch of fur above her eye, his talon carefully worming through the hairs while not touching her skin. The female whimpered angrily and her hand snapped up again, nearly hitting herself in the face in the process. Her sleepy voice was full of venom.

"Quit it!"

Kh'aan swallowed another hearty laugh and settled back to let her rest peacefully. **"What is to become of us, my friend? We are prisoners, trapped at the whim of my insane brother, and can only hope that the Council will set us free. The possibility is so miniscule as to be non-existent." **The hunter huffed under his breath and gently wove his talons back into her hair. **"I wish that we **_**could**_** escape, 'take him' as you put it and get away. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to settle this matter with Kh'val once and for all. He has become that which he has hunted all of these years, I am certain. He is a coward! A filthy Bad Blood!" **His tone grew more forceful in his anger, and Kayla shifted in his lap at the noise. The hunter's tusks snapped shut and he purred until she settled down, and then shifted her back to her tucked curl against his torso.

"**Forgive me. I should not allow him to affect me so strongly."** His train of thought drifted while he struggled to settle his ire. **"I wish that we were back on our island. I find it surprising that it was starting to feel like home. A primitive and lost existence, to be sure, but I believe I was happy there..."** He glanced down at the female and smiled. **"****…with you**. Unfortunately, even if we are released we could never return there. Even if the waters recede, Kh'val will certainly inform the Council of our sanctuary. It would be best if we found a new home…far from both your people and mine."

His top tusks tapped together thoughtfully. **"Would you agree to come with me? Would you be willing to spend your life in my company? I suspect you might grow bored with me after a while. I am, after all, a simple hunter. Though I have traveled extensively, my sense of adventure is not quite as developed as yours." **His smile vanished. **"I cannot lose you, Kayla. You are a part of my life that I never expected, and now do not think that I can live without." **A chill ran down his spine and he unconsciously tightened his arms around her**. "Perhaps we will be lucky and die together. I can think of worse fates."**

Such a morbid thought gave Kh'aan pause and stifled the rumble of laughter in his chest. He did not want anything to happen to her, but after a moment's reflection he realized that he'd spoken the truth. Who knew the murderous rage that would be unleashed if anyone tried to separate them again? The hunter snarled. _Yes, Cetanu, you have my oath. I would rather die with her. _

Mind made up, he allowed his other senses to focus on the human and the relaxing effect of her presence. Her scent was calm, an almost sweet aroma with just a hint of earth and ocean. He took several deep breaths of her and could not stop the contented purr that rumbled through his body. He felt the rise and fall of her chest against his, her breathing a dull hum beneath the steady thrum of her heartbeat, and its soothing cadence slowly lulled him to sleep.

########

"_Hold still, kitty, damn you!" Kayla grumbled in frustration. She found herself stuck in an exhaust vent trying to catch a troublesome cat with mandibles, and the offending feline kept pouncing on her head. "Ouch! Goddamn cat!" The obnoxious little menace purred again and its tusks tapped together before its mottled hide disappeared from sight. "Does Kh'aan know that you stole his skin?"_

The human was jolted from slumber by another bang on the head. "Damn cat!" Grumbling at the interruption, her eyes cracked open to get an up-close view of Kh'aan's chest. She yawned contentedly before her gaze traveled upwards and got an eyeful of Yautja chin…or the equivalent. Said jaw dropped abruptly toward her as her companion again nodded in his sleep, and she quickly turned to the side before he could give her a black eye.

"You're dangerous even when asleep, you oaf!"

Though she was rather comfortable on her perch, Kayla knew that sleeping upright was not worth the aches and pains later, and contemplated adjusting Kh'aan's current position. The thought reminded her of a time that her squad had to dig their ATV out of a snow bank with their bare hands, and she wondered if this would be any easier. The hunter's solid arms encircled her waist, and when she pushed back against them his grip tightened.

"Shit, Kh'aan," she whispered in frustration. "Let go, will ya?"

For several minutes she attempted to pull out of his grasp, but every effort resulted in the hunter nearly squeezing the breath out of her frame. Kayla stilled for a moment and growled quietly. _I'm trying to help, you overgrown bear! Ease up already!_ Suddenly the thought clicked clearly in her mind, and the marine huffed at her own stupidity.

"You ridiculous overprotective bull! So, if that makes you hang on…"

With a crooked grin on her face, Kayla untucked her arm from against Kh'aan's chest and then draped her hand over the fist around her midsection. She wiggled her fingers until his hand relaxed, and then curled the digits in between his. After another minute, the hunter's reflexes kicked in and his grip tightened, locking their hands together in her lap. She found herself mesmerized by the unusual contrast of their skin, but then shook off her curiosity.

"Step one complete…let's see if I can move this tree limb of yours."

Kayla took a deep breath, and then slowly lifted his arm from her waist. Kh'aan resisted, but her grip over his seemed to be enough reassurance that he did not fight her. After an eternity of micro-movements, her shaking arm finally cleared the hunter's knee and she stopped pulling. Though his head continued to loll forward Kh'aan's sleep remained undisturbed, and the human nervously gnawed her lip.

"This isn't going to be pretty…"

With one hand busy occupying Kh'aan's grasp, Kayla had no choice but to roll out of his lap. She turned her hips and rested her left hand on his knee for balance. Just as she figured out the least disruptive direction to fall, her heel came in contact with a bulge of rounded metal and she froze. _Oh shit oh shit ohshit! _Blushing furiously, she slowly glanced at his face to see if he aware of the intrusion. Kh'aan nodded and jerked upright for the tenth time, but otherwise remained oblivious.

"Oh thank god!"

At that moment her left hand chose to remind her of how awkwardly it was supporting her weight, balanced on his knee by her wrist. Unable to hold the position any longer, the human slid to the floor in a heap with her arm bent awkwardly beneath her stomach. _Please don't wake up now or I'll never hear the end of this!_

She carefully shuffled to her knees still clutching Kh'aan's fist, and then scooted forward to replace his arm on his lap. The hunter abruptly began to chitter and chirp as though holding a conversation, and he unexpectedly raised a hand to make some vague gesture. The movement forced Kayla to lean away from the razor sharp talons, and she wondered what he, and Yautja in general, might dream about.

"Recounting the hunt for some outrageously dangerous beast, no doubt," she muttered with a snort.

Another yawn worked its way from her throat, and Kayla took the opportunity to stretch out her limbs. Though she had been quite scrunched on his lap, she was surprise to find very little stiffness in her bones and muscles. Her gaze fell on Kh'aan as a tiny smile teased her lips. _You make a nice pillow, old boy._ As she watched, suddenly the hunter's body began to slide sideways down the wall, apparently off balance now that she'd moved. The marine choked on a yelp and dove forward, head-butting the wall just as she halted his movement.

Bent forward under his bulk with her butt in the air and nose crushed against his shoulder, Kayla nearly laughed out loud. _This is almost too stupid to be funny!_ Scooting her knees forward until they hit the wall, the human then slowly turned around. It was more of a roll than a turn, and she kept Kh'aan's weight situated first on one shoulder and then on the back of her neck. After more extensive worming she finally managed to plant her back against the wall, and could not stop a groan from escaping.

"Next time you stay AS IS!"

With the hard part finished, the marine gently reached up to grasp Kh'aan's shoulder. She feared waking him, not so much for the disruption but because she did not know if he'd rip her head off without realizing it, and so her hands trembled when they touched the hunter. She carefully guided him down the wall, scooting away as necessary until his head was finally in her lap. _Jeez! Even your noggin weighs a goddamn ton!_ She let out a heavy breath and then chuckled when she heard him sniff the air.

"That's right, you big baby. Safe and sound, now back to sleep."

Kh'aan's brow furrowed briefly, and then he took another deep breath. Kayla snickered at the scrunched expression on his features, but wound up biting her tongue when the hunter turned his face into her stomach. He huffed out a breath against her tunic and then nuzzled his face into her belly. As a ripple of sensation surged through Kayla's body, she wondered if she should turn him before he suffocated himself.

The marine's incredulous expression remained for several minutes while she contemplated this new arrangement. _Can you even breathe?_ She held back a chuckle that was certain to wake the slumbering beast, and instead tentatively raised a hand to the crown of his head, resting it lightly against his skin. She gently rubbed her thumb along his crest and smirked at the former Firstborn.

"Would you freak out if you woke up right now? I know I might have several weeks ago, but now I'm not so sure." She huffed out a sigh that the sleeping hunter echoed. "We're so in tune now that it's almost scary, but how the hell did we get here? Was it before or after you died on me? I don't think I've ever been such a wreck, not even when Grampa died." The memory sent a chill down her spine, and she forcibly directed her thoughts elsewhere.

"Such a change in my life because of you. I'd still be Sergeant Kayla Victor, second in command of Alpha Squad, imprisoned into servitude to a maniacal scientist on a desolate frozen moon. But no…I had to get into a fight with an alien, who then saved my life at the cost of his own." She gazed down at his once frightening features and brushed her thumb across his brow. "I should feel insanely guilty. I should have insisted that you drop me somewhere to save yourself. You offered to but, honestly, I just didn't want to die. Funny, that…life with you might be infinitely more dangerous than among my own kind." She sighed and settled more comfortably against the wall. "But the fact of the matter is, I simply don't want to be anywhere else."

Kayla closed her eyes, unwilling to think anymore for the moment. Kh'aan's weight settled around her like a heavy winter blanket, and before she realized it she was humming quietly. The tune did not register in her mind until suddenly Kh'aan snorted and reached up to wrap his arms around her waist. She glanced down to see his right tusks tapping together in what she knew was amusement, and then realized that she was humming "The song that doesn't end." Kh'aan chittered something into her belly and then snorted again, and the marine was certain that he was laughing in his sleep.

"Silly ox! It is a strange lullaby, isn't it?"

The human resumed humming quietly, her fingers tracing circles along Kh'aan's crest in time with the tune. The hunter purred deeply in his sleep, and she took comfort in knowing that she wasn't disturbing him with her human 'noise'. Her eyes had just decided that it was time to close when she felt heavy vibrations through the floor. Instantly on the alert, she strained her ears to track the sound. Moments later she heard footfalls in the corridor. They stomped toward Kh'aan's cell door and stopped, setting her nerves on edge, and then she heard them retreat.

"What the hell?"

Seconds later they returned, accompanied by a heavy growl. She tracked them as though seeing through the wall, and could not stop the nervous tap of her thumb on Kh'aan's skull. _Keep on walking, you freak!_ To her disgust the footsteps did just that, coming to a halt outside _her_ cell door before turning and heading back to the access stairs. She heard the distant door clamp shut and released the breath she'd been holding.

"Why you perverted asshole!"

With the chill of unease notched firmly between her shoulder blades, Kayla wrenched her gaze from the door and settled on Kh'aan. The weight of the hunter in her lap suddenly reminded her of an old friend's enormous dog, and the thought made her laugh. _I'm so glad you don't drool. _She resumed humming, her fingers tracing Kh'aan's ferocious features.

_Your skin is so thick, but it's not as reptilian as that Croc after all. More like a sea of goosebumps, each with a pixel of color on them and all over a sea of beige. You're like a painting from that ancient artist what's-his-name, at least up close. How strange. _She leaned closer to study the odd pattern, her breath crossing Kh'aan's face, and was unprepared when he suddenly lunged up from his prone position, a snort of air blasting her from point blank range. Kayla leaned back biting her tongue to keep from shouting, but the wall behind her and the hunter's grip around her torso kept her from going far.

"You goof!" She grumbled, noting his tapping tusks again. "Even in your sleep you just have to make me crazy."

She settled as comfortably as possible in his embrace, though it was slightly difficult with his linked hands in the small of her back. She wormed around the obstacle until numbed by it and then huffed out a sigh. A new tune began to form in her head, and the initial notes of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" had just found their way out of her throat when Kh'val's heavy footfalls returned to the corridor. He paced back and forth between the two cells, and Kayla finally decided to risk waking her companion.

"Kh'aan?" She leaned forward again and tried to whisper, but the behemoth remained dead to the world. She blew a breath across his face, and Kh'aan snuffled slightly, but still he did not wake. Kayla's eyes flicked to the corridor wall as the footsteps returned to the access stairs, and once she heard the outer door close she resumed her efforts in earnest.

"Kh'aan, wake up!" She tapped her fingers against his skull and snickered when he snarled in agitation. "Naptime is over, big boy. Up and at 'em!"

A low growl began in the hunter's chest and traveled to the human through his arms, making her insides quiver. "Woah, that is a very unpleasant sensation, pal! Cut it out!"

She freed her left arm from his vice and placed both hands on his face, turning his head until his closed eyes were aligned with her open ones. "Kh'aan…you have to wake up. Nefarious happenings are afoot!" She snickered at her own choice of words and then reached up with both hands. The marine prayed that he wouldn't awaken violently, and then squeezed his 'cheeks' and tried to shake him back into the waking world. "Kh'aan!"

The former Firstbor swore inwardly at the abrupt end to the best sleep he's had in weeks, and eased out of sleep with some difficulty. His bleary eyes cracked open to meet hers, and one twitching mandible disrupted an enormous yawn. "What?"

Kayla laughed and poked at one of his tusks. "What indeed. I'm sorry to wake you, sleeping beauty, but I think we're about to have company."

Kh'aan snarled quietly, and to the human's surprise buried his face back into her stomach. Kayla's brow furrowed when she heard him make a sound, as though blowing air out of his mouth and then catching it again. **"Pauk!"**

"What was that?"

The hunter rolled to his back and released her from his all-encompassing hold, his head nestled comfortably in her lap. A strange look crossed his features for a moment before he repeated the noise. **"Pauk."**

Kayla strained to make out a word, but only heard the air and catch. "Phooh-chk?"

Kh'aan's eyes grew wide, and then a rumble coursed through his body and came out in a hearty grating laugh. He squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to control himself, but the look on her face and the sound she'd made were absolutely ridiculous. After a moment he managed to chirp out "No."

Her features scrunched up in concentration and more than a little defiance, and she tried again. "Phhaah-hchk?"

Kh'aan let out a loud bark and turned his head, gracelessly rolling off of her lap. He tried in vain to contain the uncontrollable fit threatening to well up in his chest, but the more she tried to pronounce the word, the harder it became to breathe. "No…no, no, no!"

The marine frowned. "Well whatever…what's it mean?"

The hunter chuckled for a few more moments before he felt restrained enough to face her. He rolled over and rested his jaw on her knee. "Oomans say 'fuck'." When her eyes nearly bulged from her skull he lost all control again, and clamped his tusks around her knee in an effort to maintain what was left of his sanity.

"It's not funny!" She giggled as his mirth became infectious. "Is that really the first word I learn in your language? Fuck?"

Kh'aan's grip on her knee tightened for a moment before he released her. "'Chiva' was first. This would be the second."

It was Kayla's turn to stare wide-eyed, and they both wound up in stitches on the floor. She repeatedly attempted to say _**Pauk**_ correctly, and Kh'aan's color darkened by several shades in his efforts to hold in roars of laughter. Only the ominous hiss of the outer door opening was enough to end their hysterics.

Kh'aan snarled and sat straight up from the floor, though the marine was not at all surprised that his abdominal muscles could pull off such a feat. They silently tracked the Arbitrator as he approached the door, and Kayla let out a dark laugh when he passed Kh'aan's cell. Kh'aan growled and rose to his feet, appalled over what his mind was deducing as Kh'val's intention. _I was right, brother. Paya help me, don't let me be right._

Kayla nodded as she eased back into the far corner of the cell. "After the fourth trip I had a feeling that he was going for me…fucking psycho." After a small chuckle she corrected herself. "Phooh-chk-ing psycho!"

Kh'aan's head turned just enough that she could see the amused glint in his eye, and his mandibles quivered before he turned back to the corridor. "Stick to your own tongue, Crazy."

"You started it!"

Their banter was interrupted by the sound of the Arbitrator's talons tapping on the wall, first a soft tap, and then a staccato of raps in his increasing agitation. The fugitives tensed in anticipation, and moments later heard the beep of the panel when Kh'val entered the access code. The door to her cell hissed open, and barely a heartbeat later the Arbitrator roared in unmistakable fury. His steps thundered through the bulkheads, and when their cell opened he was the epitome of rage.

"**WHERE IS…she?"** Kh'val's eyes locked with Kh'aan's before they caught the shadow at his side. His gaze skirted past his brother to see the human rise from the floor with a sneer on her face. **"How did that ooman get in here?"**

Kh'aan's chuckle came out as more of a growl, and he pushed Kayla behind his back. **"She has many skills."**

The Arbitrator's eyes narrowed and his mandibles flared as a throaty hiss streamed from his mouth. Faster than they could blink he lunged forward, and Kh'aan met his brother head on. They collided in the center of the tiny cell, clawed hands locked together in a challenge of strength, and Kayla did not want to stick around to see who won the bet. As the two behemoths pushed each other violently around the room, the human dove to the floor and scrambled between their vicious feet, hoping against hope that their razor claws missed her completely until she made it out the door.

Kh'aan shoved his brother against the wall, purposely jamming his legs against the low bench. **"You are a pathetic disgrace, Kh'val!"**

"**I was just thinking the same thing about you, brother,"** the Arbitrator snarled. He abruptly head-butted Kh'aan and knocked the taller hunter back a step, but their claws remained locked in the backs of each other's hands. He felt the passage of air along his legs, and briefly glanced down to see the human skirt past their feet. He lashed out with a kick and smirked when his foot connected.

Kh'aan heard a gasp from his companion and roared in his brother's face before returning the head-butt with one of his own. **"Touch her again and I will kill you!"**

**"You keep saying that." **Kh'val yanked the hunter forward by the arms and raised a knee to his midsection. The abrupt stop knocked the wind out of Kh'aan's lungs and gave the Arbitrator the opportunity to find the human again.

Kayla was curled on the floor beneath the bench, her lungs heaving desperately for air. _Goddamn psychopathic maniac! I'll kill you when I can breathe again._ Her eyes opened in time to see his tree-trunk legs approaching, while behind him Kh'aan was also struggling to breathe. As Kh'val raised his foot again, Kayla took a risk and darted out from under the bench. She locked her legs around Kh'val's planted foot and rolled with all of her might, much like she had when sparring with Kh'aan. With his balance already upset by his raised leg, the Arbitrator could not remain upright when her movement dislodged his support.

Kh'aan sucked in a deep and painful breath, and his eyes cracked open in time to see Kh'val topple sideways with Kayla's legs wrapped around his ankle. His brother could not break his fall fast enough, and crashed head-first into the metal wall. Kh'val slumped to the floor groaning weakly, and the presented opportunity was too good for Kh'aan to let pass. He stepped forward flexing his hand in preparation, and delivered a sound punch to the dangerously sensitive spot on Kh'val's skull. The blow did its job quickly and the Arbitrator immediately went still.

Kayla remained sprawled on the floor, her wide eyes locked on Kh'val as though expecting him to rise again. Only when Kh'aan stepped forward and started to disarm his unconscious brother did she hazard a breath. And then hissed.

"Fuck me!"

Kh'aan's eyes snapped to the human, wincing on the floor and holding her side. As much as his chest hurt, he could only imagine how many of her ribs had been damaged. He threw the Arbitrator's weapons out into the corridor and dropped to his knees by her side.

"Are you broken?"

Her eyes watered slightly but her features were stone. "Nope, I'm good. Just bruised. Help me up."

They heaved to their feet, wincing in unison, and quickly shuffled out of the cell. Kh'aan turned and stared at his brother for several minutes wondering what had just happened, and only Kayla's hand on his arm snapped him out of the trance. He activated the panel and locked the cell door, and then used the Arbitrator's wristblades to disable the panel entirely. After another moment he faced the human, and it took some effort to pull her own gaze from the door. Their eyes met as mirrors of apprehension.

"Ok," the human huffed. "Now what?"


	38. Chapter 38

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 38 - Conjoined_

The fugitives wearily made their way to Kh'val's medical bay to tend to their injuries. Though the pain in Kh'aan's chest was already fading, he was certain that Kayla's ribs had been broken. Her short reassurance did nothing to quell the anxiety he'd felt when his brother's foot had connected with her body. Just thinking about it made him want to march right back to the holding cells and give Kh'val a swift kick of his own. He bristled at the thought, but his musings were interrupted by a short gasp from his companion as they entered the medical bay.

Kh'aan glanced back to see her staring at the room in awe, her mouth gaping slightly as though the jaw muscles had gone slack. He followed her gaze and attempted to see the room through her eyes. _Granted it is bigger than mine, but his entire ship is much larger. And I do not have so much scientific equipment. This is more of a laboratory than an infirmary. _Directly across from the door stood a long counter covered with various instruments used for detailed study of samples. The female absently walked over to a magnification device and smiled, obviously finding it familiar. Kh'aan leaned back against the far examination bed to study the human's scrutiny. Her gaze rose from the counter to the cabinets that lined the wall above it. Some of the doors were solid panels, but the hunter noticed several paned with a clear polymer to make searching easier. Kayla gasped and raised a hand to one of the doors, and Kh'aan squinted until he made out a collection of human teeth in a jar. A shudder ran down his spine at what she could be thinking of the macabre display, but rather than comment she abruptly turned her back to take in the rest of the room.

"Ok, Doctor Frankenstein!"

Kh'aan's mind chewed curiously on her statement while he watched the marine cautiously walk around an unsettling examination chair. She lightly touched the one of the restraints strapped to the arm rest before taking a hesitant step back. A tremor shook her shoulders as her gaze traveled down to the floor, and he followed with his own eyes to the base of the chair. A dark stain had permanently marked the floor around the base of the device, and from the expression on her face he was certain that their thoughts were aligned - _blood._

His companion turned away from the chair with a snort. "Medieval Torture Devices? What a freak!" She laughed, but the sound was as strained as her gaze when their eyes met. She stepped over to join him by the more standard examination bed, and Kh'aan abruptly gripped her waist and hoisted her onto the platform.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, her small fists punching at his chest. "No man-handling the human!"

Kh'aan snorted, hearing the laughter in her voice. "Stop whining, pup."

The human stuck her tongue out at him before laying back on the bed, and he had to resist the urge to grasp the little thing in his fingers before it disappeared. He noticed the heat beneath her skin along her abdomen, and hoped that he would be able to provide some relief. Without a regeneration module he was not entirely sure how to heal a human, and the lack of such knowledge - not something he would have pursued in his previous life - was frustrating to say the least.

Kh'aan reached into a drawer beside the platform and pulled out a portable scanner. Activating the device, he made several passes over her torso before realizing something was wrong. The display repeatedly blinked 'unknown tissue' with each pass, and he wondered if Kh'val had time to inject her with something sinister. Only after the fourth pass did he realize the problem, and the hunter grunted and jabbed another command into the instrument. Kayla snickered at the confounded expression on his face.

"Wrong setting, genius?"

Kh'aan snarled, a brief flare of anger at such a slight making him glare into her laughing eyes, but her humor was enough to creep through his defenses. Without pausing to think about his actions, he suddenly leaned forward and snapped his teeth shut inches from her nose. The female let out an uncharacteristic yelp and scooted away on instinct, nearly toppling off of the end of the platform. Chuckling, he gripped the front of her pants and pulled her back down before she landed on her head.

"God, you are such a clown! That was cruel and you know it!"

Her eyes released the moment's fear while he grinned shamelessly, and then he resumed scanning. "Skittish ooman. You should trust me."

Her bark of a laugh was anything but sincere. "Oh I do…when you're being a reasonable adult and not a mischievous little deviant." After sharing another glare the marine closed her eyes and relaxed on the exam bed. "Ok, Doc. Do your worst."

Kh'aan took a minute to gaze upon her unobserved, and then lightly brushed a thumb across her brow before his attention returned to the scanner. _Pauk. I know nothing of these images. I know ooman body parts when separated from the body, but not in active use. __**You are Firstborn!**__ Was! __**Fine, **__**were**__** Firstborn. You should know these things!**__ On a carcass, yes! I could remove the parts one at a time. It makes no sense all in a jumble like this! __**Some High Elder you would have been!**__ Shut up!_ Kh'aan silenced his mind and instead handed her the scanner.

"This is what is wrong with you."

Lying on her back, Kayla held the device up over her head to see it. He could only see her mouth around the suddenly enormous scanner, and he saw her small blunt teeth begin to gnaw on her lip. "Hmmm...there's my stomach, but what the hell is that? My spleen? I'm a soldier, not a surgeon!" She slapped the scanner into his open hand and groaned. "So can you fix it, or should I just go take a hot bath, or maybe a cold one?"

Kh'aan snorted, a retort on his lips when her words actually reached him. "Cold bath? I do not understand?"

"Sometimes cold works for injuries just as well as hot, depending on the problem. It reduces swelling enough that the body can repair itself." She smirked and turned away from his curious gaze. "Then again, we are talking about primitive human medicine, not your neon burning skin glue."

Kh'aan snorted and turned to the many cabinets on the wall. The contents of Kh'val's medical bay were making him extremely nervous with each passing second. _He is not a scientist. What could he possibly use this equipment for? __**Do you really want to know?**_ The hunter growled and forced his thoughts to remain on task. After rummaging through several cabinets, he returned to the exam bed with a ceramic bowl of yellow liquid, a tube of red crystals and a very large needle. The scent of fear suddenly filled the room, and when he glanced at the female her eyes were wider than platters. She took one look at the syringe and bolted from the bed, her injuries completely forgotten.

"No way! NO WAY, MAN! Get that thing the hell away from me!"

Kh'aan was startled by her abrupt movement and nearly dropped the bowl. Placing the items carefully on the counter, he turned to Kayla hiding a chuckle. She had run across the room to hide behind the 'mid-eval torture device', whatever that meant, and at the moment resembled one of the tiny primates that her species were rumored to be descended from. Her eyes darted between him and the syringe, and her knuckles were on fire where she gripped the back of the chair. After a hearty chuckle at her expense he took a step toward her. Kayla darted to the right of the chair but Kh'aan swiftly blocked her escape. She dashed back to the left and he again met her between the chair and the counter. The marine growled and lunged to the right making Kh'aan follow suit, but the maneuver was a ruse. The second he was out of her way she darted out of the corner. Kh'aan growled. _As you say, ooman…this is getting old._ He was pondering exactly how to grab her in a secure hold without harming her when Kayla winced and her steps faltered. He used the opportunity to grasp her shoulders before she could run again.

"Kh'aan, I'm serious! You're not getting near me with that thing without a fight! You'll be singing soprano for the rest of your life if you try it! Let me go!"

Her tone threatened blood, but Kh'aan ignored it and 'man-handled' her back to the platform. Kayla struggled the whole way until he forcefully held her down, and then she resorted to pleading. "Please! That's gonna hurt like hell and I'm gonna scream and your ears will be ringing for days and you won't hear psycho bro if he gets out of prison and I don't want to lose my voice and you'll probably kill me and…no please!"

Her words came out in a rush and her skin was burning beneath his hands. _How can you be a soldier and yet afraid of a simple syringe? Foolish ooman._ Though he was enjoying this brief moment of power over her, he knew that she'd retaliate if he kept it up. Kh'aan allowed her to fidget for a few more minutes before finally releasing her legs to pick up the syringe. Her protests grew in volume and she appeared ready to kick him, but then he leaned over until their eyes were inches apart.

"Are you finished?" The marine whimpered and bit her lip, but did not answer. "This is not for you."

Giving her one last stern frown, Kh'aan turned to the bowl and proceeded to draw some of the liquid into the syringe. He took a quick glance at the trembling female, and then injected the liquid into the tube of crystals. There was an immediate chemical reaction within the tube. The crystals rapidly melted into the yellow liquid, swirling through until he began to shake the tube. The liquid thickened and its color changed from a mottled orange to a deep purple, though Kh'aan only noticed that it grew warm in his hand. He popped the cap off of the tube and poured the newly formed gel over her exposed stomach. She shivered almost imperceptibly, and then raised her head to see what he was doing. Kh'aan put down the tube and reached forward to rub his enormous hand over her abdomen, massaging the gel into her skin. He felt her skin grow warm beneath his hand, accompanied by a slight tingle, and was relieved that he'd mixed the ingredients correctly. The sub-dermal gel was not something that he'd used very often.

Kayla moaned and dropped her head back on the bed. "Why didn't you tell me in the first place, you jerk?" Her words were angry, but her half-lidded eyes and small smile told him that the gel was working as planned.

Kh'aan snorted. "It is more fun to disturb you. You make amusing expressions when upset."

The human frowned and raised the middle finger on her right hand. "You're just a barrel of laughs, aren't you?"

_It seems you make me that way, silly ooman. I wonder sometimes if I am regressing because of you._ Rather than respond to her jab, he picked up the scanner to check his progress. The gel was soaking into her skin and repairing the tissues as it went, but it appeared that he needed to apply it to her back to saturate the area thoroughly. He let out a frustrated grunt and reached forward to flip her over, but then thought better of it.

"Turn over."

Kayla gasped, and when he met her gaze her eyes were wide in false shock, and she clutched a hand to her chest. "My god! Did you just ask me _**nicely**_? I think I might faint!"

It took everything ounce of his self-control not to thump her on the head. "Over…or I will do it for you."

Kayla smirked and once again stuck her tongue out at him before rolling over to her stomach. An uncontrollable impulse made him flick her ear before he poured more of the gel onto her back, using both hands to rub it in. In light of everything that had happened in the past half hour, neither gave much thought to the contented groans that the human was making, nor the great care that Kh'aan took in making sure that he reached every inch of her exposed skin. The only stray thought he had was if he was applying too much pressure, but he was certain that she would say something. Once finished he stepped back and reached for the tools to put them away, but a frustrated whine from his companion made him pause.

"Who said you could stop?" Kayla's quiet voice hid traces of laughter, and Kh'aan noticed a brief bloom of heat in her face.

The hunter snorted for a moment, his fingers lightly ghosting across her smooth skin, and then an impish grin quirked his mandibles. Prior to meeting her, he had never been prone to foolish, juvenile behavior…but she had just called him a "mischievous little deviant'. _Who am I to disappoint?_

########

Kayla relaxed on the exam bed, surprised that the purple gel had practically eliminated the pain from the Arbitrator's kick. _And it didn't hurt like a sonofabitch, unlike that blue stuff. _She chuckled lightly at the thought, but her musings were interrupted by an erratic tapping. After focusing on the sound she realized that it was Kh'aan's tusks, and a chill traveled her spine. _Uh oh! Whenever they chatter like that he's up to no good._ No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when something warm, wet and pebbly whipped across her lower back. Goosebumps erupted all over her body seconds before she shrieked, flipping awkwardly off of the exam bed with no thought to the landing. She hit the floor on her left hip and rolled away trying desperately to see what he'd done to her. The sensation shivered through her veins and she could not think coherently enough to curse him out properly.

"The fuck! Was that…are you…what the hell…DID YOU JUST LICK ME?"

Kayla focused on the hysterical hunter through rage-tinted glasses and snarled. He was bent forward over the exam bed, trying to remain standing from the looks of it, and his entire body shook from heavy rumbles of laughter. After several snorting grunts he managed to nod his head slightly, but then she heard a high chitter escape from his throat sounding like a drunken cricket. Kh'aan's knees abruptly gave out and he collapsed on top of her, howling gleefully at the expression on her face.

The human groaned and heaved at his immovable bulk. "You ridiculous gremlin! You infantile lunatic, what the hell is wrong with you? My god, you're worse than my squad after the Hallows Eve Sugar Fest!" Her tantrum did nothing to quell the hunter's mirth, and the marine finally snapped. Screaming obscenities, she pounced on him with fists flying. Kh'aan rolled around on the floor, entirely too incapacitated to defend himself any other way. He tipped away from her left jab and her fingers glanced off of his right arm, gouging into what was probably the only soft spot on his entire body - directly below his armpit.

Kh'aan's howl changed pitch instantly and his head snapped around to gaze at her wide-eyed. He could not miss the predatory glint in her eyes and tried to wrestle free of her, but Kayla quickly wrapped her feet around his right leg.

"Wait. Do not do…"

"BONZAI!" His words came too late. Kayla fell on him with all the ferocity of a deranged beast, and her feet locked together around his leg in an effort to keep him immobile. She ducked under his flailing arm into that unscratchable area out of his reach, and then proceeded to poke him relentlessly in the side. "Take that, you bastard! This means war!

The hunter snorted and thrashed but she was in perfect positioning, and the torture of repeated jabs into his newly discovered sensitive flesh seemed to be undoing the formidable hunter. Beneath her own snarls she could hear his erratic breathing, and he could barely form a complete sentence to plead with her.

"Kayla! *snort* Stop! *hiss* Not funny! *snarl* No!"

Kayla's face was split in a maniacal grin as she continued to torture her companion, and barely had enough time to hang on when he abruptly heaved to his feat. _Think this'll stop me?_ After a moment's hesitation she used his movement to twist onto his back, removing all chance that he had at freedom short of ramming her into a wall.

"Think you're so tough, huh? Take that! You won't get away from me, devil!"

Kayla linked her legs around the hunter's waist and latched her arm around his throat, leaving her right hand free to dance under his arm. Kh'aan bucked and fidgeted in a comical dance to throw her off, but after years of wrestling with soldiers twice her size, the marine knew how to maintain a hold.

"Lick me, will you! I'll show you, you insufferable mountain! I'll…"

In a fit of desperation Kh'aan stopped trying to shake off the pesky human and instead opted to simply overpower her grip. He grasped her foot and tried to unlock her legs from around his waist, but his hands were shaking uncontrollably from her assault. Just as he managed to force her left foot to release him, she kicked out and his grip slipped. His talons grazed through the space between her foot and the sole of the sandal before becoming caught on the bindings.

Kayla's blood rage fizzled in an instant, clarity giving way to abject fear as she realized exactly what that unpleasant sensation was. She froze on his back for a split second before frantically attempting to release her hold. In the midst of her panic she felt Kh'aan's shivering subside, and he grabbed her flailing legs and peeked over his shoulder at her wide eyes.

"Who is…insufferable?"

"Kh'aan…don't you dare…" The warning dried up in her throat when he again dragged his talons along the sole of her foot. Kayla flinched violently on his back and began writhing in earnest to break free of his grip. "Holy shit! No! No no no!"

Her companion growled low in his throat. "What do you oomans say? Turning about is fair?" Before she could respond she felt his talons slash eagerly at the bindings of her sandals. The thin leather soles fell away quickly, and Kayla screamed bloody murder when he proceeded to unleash hell on her sensitive feet. She punched fruitlessly at his back and tried to kick her legs out of his hands, but Kh'aan's grip was not to be trifled with. A lapse in the human's struggles made the hunter pause, and the brief respite gave her enough motivation to resume her attacks on his side. In the midst of his mischief, Kh'aan was unprepared when his knees gave out and they tumbled back to the floor.

"Unhand me you oaf!"

"You started this!"

"No, you did!" DON'T! STOPIT!"

"If you were not my friend…**PAUK! STOP!** I would kill you!"

After what felt like an eternity the two fugitives finally relented, piled haphazardly in an uncoordinated heap of tangled limbs. Though one of her legs was pinned beneath Kh'aan's chest, Kayla felt a sense of victory being the one on top…draped across his back with his massive neck in a sorry excuse for a choke hold. She felt his heavy breathing begin to slow and attempted to calm her own, but a hearty chuckle kept getting in the way of air. His heart pounded a furious beat against her knee, and she imagined that he could feel the same with her sternum mashed against his shoulder.

Kh'aan shuddered out another chuckle and then took a deep breath. "Truce?"

"I will never surrender," she replied breathlessly. "But if you yield, I accept."

The hunter took one last poke at her foot. "Never."

"Brat!"

She felt him squeeze her leg, and was ready for the fight to renew when a heavy bang echoed through the ship. Their eyes darted to the door and then met over Kh'aan's shoulder. The hunter heaved to his feet with a grating snarl, swiftly grasping her arm to hold her in place. Kayla yelped for a moment as she struggled to right herself, and then resituated her grip across his throat. Several shuffling steps later and Kh'aan left the lab with her latched to his back. He stopped in the corridor and craned his neck to meet her gaze with an incredulous one of his own.

"What?" The marine chuckled lightly. "Had you left me on the floor, we wouldn't be in this position."

No sooner did the words leave her mouth when Kh'aan abruptly released her legs. Kayla dropped unexpectedly, and only her arm around his neck stopped her from hitting the floor. She smirked at the hunter as he gasped around her forearm, and then reached up to re-lock her legs around his waist. She growled against his back and loosened her hold when she was finally secure.

"Just for that I'm staying put, you ass!"

########

In the corridor the banging seemed to vibrate through every bulkhead. Kh'aan's nerves were still on edge after their 'battle' in the medical lab, and he flirted with the idea of using Kayla as a club to beat his brother. The image made him chuckle, but it was drowned out by a surprised sound from the human.

"Hey! That's green! But I thought…" He felt her hands push on his shoulders to raise her higher on his back, and then a warm breath crossed the top of his head. "Two toned? That figures! At least I'm not going blind."

Kh'aan stopped walking as she resumed her perch. "What are you talking about?"

Kayla's scent flared with embarrassment for a moment before he heard her chuckle. "Sorry…I just noticed...It was something I'd seen before, thought I'd seen wrong, and now realized that I was right. It's not important."

Kh'aan wanted to inquire further, but something told him that she would launch into a long story that he was not in the mood to hear. Instead he reached back to ruffle her hair, and then they proceeded down the corridor to the access stairs. The Arbitrator's cacophony of roars and banging made their heads throb in tandem, but another sound stopped Kh'aan's foot on the first stair.

He felt Kayla shift on his back as though turning around. "What's that?"

A high ringing buzz sounded from the control room making the hunter snarl. "A message."

Fun and games over, the human nimbly hopped from his back and followed to the control room. As he eased into the command chair he heard another small gasp from her, and turned to see her once again staring around in awe. Kh'aan briefly followed her gaze, but he knew that Kh'val had the larger ship. The differences were not as fascinating anymore. Turning his attention to the controls, his brow furrowed as he pondered their predicament and then he swiveled around to face Kayla. He watched her take in his contemplative expression, wondering how she had learned to read such vastly different features from her own. After another minute's scrutiny she stepped forward until her knees met his legs.

"What's wrong?"

Kh'aan studied her for a long moment. With every day that passed since their initial meeting, he was continually surprised by her fierce resolve. Even now in the face of so much uncertainty, he could see in her eyes that she would stand by him no matter what they faced. It warmed a normally dormant part of his heart and he reached forward to playfully flick her ear, though his hand strayed down the side of her neck to her shoulder before he dropped it.

"Should I answer?"

He could tell by her wide eyes that he'd caught her off guard. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she spoke. "Why not? I mean, what's the worst that could hap…" She abruptly groaned and wiped a hand down her face before again meeting his gaze. When she spoke her voice had returned to that 'soldier' tone that he was coming to enjoy.

"Do we know the origin of the signal?"

Kh'aan grinned, pleased that her wits were as sharp as ever. "It is possible that I could find out." He waited to see what her human brain would come up with next and was not disappointed.

Kayla began pacing the floor of the control room, idly running her fingers over the various surfaces as she passed. "This isn't our ship. Whoever that is would be expecting to speak with your brother, not you. They might be more sympathetic to him than to us, and if they know that we're out and he's locked up…"

"We will be intercepted before we reach the clan ship…" he continued for her.

"And lose all chance of humiliating the odious troll." The marine smacked her right fist into her left hand. "So in order to avoid losing what little advantage we have right now, we need to find out who that is before risking discovery."

She whirled around from her pacing to meet his gaze, and seemed startled by the pleased expression on his features. "What?"

He couldn't help himself and rumbled with laughter before turning back to the console. "I knew that you would say that."

He heard a hiss from behind him and wondered if she was trying to hide a smile. "Yeah, well don't think you know so much about me, buster. I'm a crazy human, don'cha know? We're cut against the grain!"

A pleasing shiver rippled through Kh'aan's veins, and before Kayla could react he whirled around and snared the loops on her pants. He pulled her forward so quickly that she had to brace her hands on his chest to avoid falling knee-first into his groin. She struggled for a moment, but stilled when his forehead touched hers.

"That, you outrageous creature, is why I like you."

Kayla's heat flared in her embarrassment and she abruptly looked away, but he noticed that she did not remove her hands from his body, nor did she pull away. After several shaky breaths her eyes met his, and the cocky soldier smirked.

"It's your funeral."

The former Firstborn snorted and turned back to the console. As he began to trace the signal, a low purr coursed through his frame when he felt Kayla rest her chin on his shoulder. _If Kh'val could see this he would probably die._ After several minutes fiddling with the console, his purr choked off into a grating snarl.

The marine's concern was tangible. "What? Who is it?"

The hunter gulped down several deep breaths, but it still took everything he had to keep from snapping at her. "My Sire."

########

"**Sh'aan, will you listen to reason?"**

"**Me? It is you who has been acting without thought, not I. Your reason has been compromised ever since you found them together on that rock!" **

"**I admit that I acted under stress, but that does not excuse ****your**** behavior now. Do not change the subject."**

"**So you are allowed to chastise me for responding to my emotions, but you are beyond reproach, is that it?" **

High Elder Kh'alik growled and turned away from the regal female before his anger got the best of him. This argument seemed unending, and though they were due to meet with the council, it seemed as though the disagreement would hold them forever. Kh'alik wanted to contact Kh'val to ascertain the status of his prisoners and confirm their arrival, while Sh'aan wanted to send her personal guard to escort the Arbitrator to the clan ship. The High Elder thought that such action would seem excessive, but she was not to be swayed.

"**Grand Matron, I am willing to compromise. We will contact Kh'val. If…"** he raised a hand to silence her protests. **"If he does not answer, we will send your guard to meet him. Is that satisfactory?"**

Sh'aan refused to meet his gaze, instead staring out of the viewport as though willing the Arbitrator to appear. _Kh'val would gladly kill his brother if given the chance._ A heavy sigh preceded her answer. **"Very well. Anything to be certain that they are alive."**

They left the Grand Matron's chambers and hurried to High Elder Kh'alik's private office. Sh'aan did not miss the slight paranoia in his voice when he said that the comm. in his private chambers was the most secure. He allowed her to sit while he leaned over her shoulder to access the link.

After fifteen minutes of listening to the signal without receiving a response, the usually stoic Grand Matron began to fidget in her chair like an impatient pup. Kh'alik monitored her out of the corner of his eye, and resent the message manually rather than waiting for the computer to retry automatically. **"He is probably interrogating them."**

Sh'aan snarled. **"That does not reassure me, Kh'alik."**

He turned to her, his eyes glowing with restrained anger. **"You have always disliked my third-born, Sh'aan. Your insistence that he would harm Kh'aan is almost insulting."**

"**Do not speak of that to me, Kh'alik. I saw your eyes when we met in the gardens. You distrust him as much as I."**

"**Perhaps, but I am willing to…"**

Their discussion was interrupted by a response from the comm. Kh'alik accepted the link and prepared his speech for the Arbitrator, but the words disappeared from his mind as they were connected. Instead of greeting his third-born, they came face to face with none other than Kh'aan, with his companion directly behind his shoulder. The human straightened up on the screen and took a step back, but their easy proximity was not lost on the elders.

Several tense minutes passed before anyone spoke, and then the elders saw the tips of the humans fingers appear behind Kh'aan's shoulder. Their Firstborn visibly relaxed from the brief touch and he exhaled sharply.

"**Grand Matron, High Elder." **

Kh'alik was struck dumb by their unexpected presence, but Sh'aan managed to maintain her composure. **"Kh'aan. This is a surprise. We were expecting to speak with Kh'val. That is his ship, is it not?"**

Kh'aan nodded, but they noticed a twitch of his mandibles as though he were laughing at something.

Kh'alik finally came to his senses when the hunter did not elaborate further. **"Where is Kh'val? How is it that you and your ooman are in control of his ship? I doubt he would allow you to answer his comm. willingly."**

Kh'aan growled heavily, and Sh'aan saw the human's eyes dart him immediately. The hand on his shoulder appeared to squeeze. She studied the hunter more thoroughly and realized that his heat was rising rapidly. _He is angry, and she is __calming__ him. That is very interesting. _

Kh'aan appeared to take several deep breaths before answering. **"Kh'val was…his behavior…he…"** The hunter let out a heavy growl, and they noticed movement from the human again. She leaned forward and seemed to speak to him. Though they could not hear her words, Kh'aan's reaction was almost instantaneous. He squared his shoulders and his eyes were luminous in their intensity.

"**Kh'val was behaving dishonorably. It was best to confine him before he harmed anyone." **

KH'alik snorted. "**Dishonorably? You will have to elaborate, Kh'aan. That explains nothing."**

Their Firstborn snarled, his eyes darting across the console before meeting theirs again. **"We will arrive at the clan ship in two days. I will explain further when we are able to meet in private. Kh'…"**

"**Two days?"** The Elders exchanged a glance. **"But Elder Ne'hak informed the Council that Kh'val would arrive in six days."**

"**Six? That does not make sense. Why…"** Kh'aan's eyes suddenly widened, and they heard a snarl through the comm. They saw him look down and punch commands into the console. Moments later he barked out a string of curses that made the human to wince.

Sh'aan began to piece the picture together, and her insides churned with her unease. _Why would he lie? What is happening out there?_

Kh'aan's raging eyes locked with theirs in turn. **"We will arrive in two days." **

"**But what…"** Kh'alik's words were cut off as Kh'aan severed the connection. The Elders exchanged wary glances while waiting for him to reappear, and only after several minutes did they tear their eyes from the feed. Sh'aan was the first to speak.

"**What is happening out there? It is not like him to be so disrespectful toward us."**

"**No,"** Kh'alik replied with a heavy sigh. **"Which means that something is very wrong."**

########

Kayla stared at the blank screen, shocked that Kh'aan would cut off his elders in mid-sentence. He was growling heavily and his hands flew across the console with almost frightening precision. Her instincts told her to keep quiet until he acknowledged her presence.

Kh'aan finally sat back from the console and turned to her. His eyes were heavy with emotion, but it seemed to flit between rage and sadness, as though someone had disappointed him so much that he was furious. After a shaky breath, she stepped forward and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"What is it? You look ready to destroy something."

The hunter regarded her carefully, the growl lessening but not going away. He did not want to reveal something that would undoubtedly upset the human further, but she deserved the truth in all of its ugly glory. "Kh'val was taking the long way back."

As expected, the human's heat spiked for a moment before her eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Kh'val told the Council that he would arrive at the clan ship in six days. We are only two days distant. He was taking a longer route." The hunter growled again, his eyes closing against the desire to rend the Arbitrator limb from limb.

Kayla could not contain herself and her voice ricocheted off of the walls. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" She backed away several steps and then stormed forward again, grasping Kh'aan by the shoulders. "Tell me you're joking. I really need to know that you're messing with me."

Kh'aan's eyes softened slightly, but his body shook beneath her hands. "I am sorry, Kayla. I am not joking. For whatever foolish reason, he deliberately deceived the Council..."

"No, he had a VERY good reason, the fucking freak! He had toys to play with! AUGH! I'll kill him!"

She turned on her heel and bolted from the room before Kh'aan could grab her, and the hunter leapt from the stool hoping that she was not foolish enough to attack Kh'val. He raced down the access stairs wondering how she'd gotten so far ahead of him, but upon reaching the cell block he realized that he'd lost her scent. After another glance at the cell doors he retraced his steps to the upper levels. Kayla's furious aroma hit him like a block of stone, and he followed it to Kh'val's kehrite. As the door opened he wondered if he should spar with her to release their anger, but to his surprise she was only sitting in the middle of the floor.

"I can't."

Kh'aan chuffed under his breath and knelt before the raging human, her heat flaring in her current state. "You cannot what?"

Kayla's eyes rose to meet his, and he could plainly see the storm in her mind. "I can't kill him. You said so yourself…'no chance'. So no matter what he does, until we get there I can't touch him." A low growl worthy of any Yautja rumbled from her chest. "What I wouldn't give to be able to just flood that cell…say it was a coolant leak that we didn't notice. You said it takes two days to drown…and we've got two days to travel. 'Whoops! Sorry about that. Didn't go near him, so didn't know. Who's to say he didn't rig that cell to drown us?'"

Kh'aan couldn't help but chuckle at her tone, so full of false regret that it was nearly threatening. "You are frightening when you are angry."

The marine glared at him incredulously. "You, scared of li'l ol' me? You're full of shit!"

The hunter grasped her shoulders and rose to his feet, pulling the human up as well. "You are a dangerous ooman, Kayla. I have no doubt of this. I am simply glad that you do not unleash your full temper on me."

"Oh yeah?"

Kayla swiftly ducked out of his grasp, spinning to her knees and around his legs before leaping from her crouch to kick him squarely in the back. Kh'aan stumbled forward a step before his reflexes kicked in, and he turned to her with a snarl. Her eyes glittered in the muted light from the walls.

"I need a punching bag. You'll do."

She darted forward curling her hands into fists, the balls of her now bare feet silent on the hard floor. Kh'aan immediately moved to block any hit she might attempt, but was unprepared when she seemed to use his body to her own advantage. He swung his left arm out to cut off her approach, and she ducked while grasping his wrist in her left hand. Her light feet nimbly walked up his bent leg, and she used his bent elbow as a swing to whirl up onto his back. He thought that this was another useless maneuver on her part and reached back to pull her down, but Kayla remained in motion. Her weight settled for only a moment before she used her momentum to swing over his shoulder. She seemed to twirl around on the edge of his vision, and then her legs were around his arm. Still she moved. Kh'aan was unaware that he was spinning with her until she was suddenly upside down at his leg, her knees clasped to his elbow, and when his shoulders turned without his lower body the trap was sprung. As the human rolled out of the way, Kh'aan followed through with the forced inertia and toppled to the floor on his right arm, hearing a loud crack that shot pain from his elbow to his shoulder.

Blood rage flooded his senses and he leapt from the ground with a roar. Kayla watched in awe as he threw his arm out to the side with another loud crack, effectively resetting his elbow. Her eyes narrowed as they met his, and they circled waiting for the other to make the first move. Kh'aan snarled and stormed forward, claws extended as though to rip her face off. She ducked the left arm, but took the right across her upper back as she turned to hit him with a roundhouse kick to his side. Her heel connected with something solid that gave upon impact, but Kh'aan only grunted. He grasped the offending limb and used it to throw her across the room, and then followed before she could rise. The hunter's foot came crashing down toward her torso, and the human quickly rolled to the side to avoid being crushed.

Kayla flipped to her feet and turned to the hunter, but a heavy fist to her jaw knocked her back down. Pain surged across her face but she ignored it, darting out of the way of another descending foot. As Kh'aan turned to charge again, she ducked under his reach and slammed her shoulder into his sternum, satisfied to hear the behemoth's air whoosh from his lungs.. She rolled through the move around to his back and locked her left ankle around his right leg as he turned around. Kh'aan tripped over her foot and fell forward, but used his arms to brace and rebound from his fall. He was upright in seconds only to receive a fist to his lower jaw. His bottom teeth gouged into his mouth, and the hunter spit blood in her eyes as she charged.

Kayla gasped and backed away, wiping the green mess from her eyes. The distraction proved enough, and Kh'aan's arms circled her waist, raised her into the air and slammed her to the floor. The room echoed with the force of her impact, and though she tried to rise again her body would not cooperate. Kh'aan stepped forward sneering, his pride triumphant even as concern edged to the forefront of his mind. He reached a hand down to help her to her feet, but the marine was not yet finished. She took the offered hand and raised a foot to his chest. Using the last of her strength, Kayla tugged and launched Kh'aan over her head, his bent state lending his mass to her maneuver so that he nearly threw himself. The hunter landed on his back and the floor vibrated with the force.

After several minutes shaking the stars from his vision, Kh'aan turned to gaze at the feisty marine. He had a smart remark on the tip of his tongue, but choked on it when he saw her rolling her jaw. All mirth and rage left him, and the hunter quickly crawled across the floor.

"Kayla! I am sorry. I should not have hit you that hard. Did I…" A small hand swatted across his face and silenced his words, but before he could get angry he heard her laughing.

The human winced at the flood of agony her body was feeling, but could not stop her laughter. "'on't 'e. I 'arted it. Ow…'eah…'e'ind 'e not to 'ake 'ou 'ad ei'er!"

Kh'aan snorted and hung his head, wondering how this tiny insignificant being could be so infuriating and exhilarating at the same time. "It is a deal. Come. Back to the medical bay."

"'ou 'ean tha 'edie'al 'orture 'amber."

His eyes widened for a moment, but then he chuffed under his breath and carefully gathered the injured marine in his arms. She immediately began to protest, but he silenced her with a finger across her lips. "Whatever that means, yes. Now stop being difficult."

Kayla shut her mouth and allowed him to carry her. As humiliating as it was to appear so weak, she knew that he felt guilty for busting her jaw. "'orry, 'ad"

He rested her on the exam bed and rummaged through Kh'val's stores until he found the hand-held regeneration unit. He adjusted the settings to 'Bone' and then slowly passed the device over her damaged jaw. Kayla felt a warm tingling again, but this time the sensation was much sharper beneath her skin. She tried her best not to wince.

Kh'aan's mind was in an uproar. _What was I thinking? I could have killed her! __**She started the fight, and it was a legitimate spar. **__I should not have participated. It was obvious that she was angry and not thinking clearly. __**She broke your arm!**__ It does not matter!_

"**Pauk!"**

His outburst caught Kayla's attention, and she reached up to touch his arm. Kh'aan tried to remain composed, but the touch undid his resolve. He snarled and dropped the scanner, capturing her shoulders in his hands. His gaze was so intense that she whimpered involuntarily.

"It was a fair spar, Kayla, I know this, but I will still never forgive myself for harming you. Do not tell me that it is OK. It is not. I should not have hit you. I should have known better than to…"

The human's hand came up to silence him, her fingers closing gently over his mouth. Her eyes held his as a small but pained smile formed, and she rolled her jaw for a moment before risking an answer. "I forgive you. Don't beat yourself up. I already did that, and you paid me back in kind." Feeling the strength return to her face, her smile grew. "Truce?"

Kh'aan's color faded back to normal from the frantic blaze of green and brown that it had become. His mandibles twitched into a smile and he leaned forward to bump her forehead, one tusk caressing her repaired jaw. "Never."

"Brat."

########

Kayla rested on the exam bed watching Kh'aan inject himself repeatedly with various colorful liquids – something orange into his side, something black with an unpleasant scent into his right elbow, and the yellow liquid directly into the roof of his mouth. She cried out for him when his eyes crossed and he gripped the exam bed so hard that his talons gouged into it.

"Damn, even I felt that!" She covered his rigid hand with hers, and the hunter eventually turned his palm to link their fingers. "Couldn't you have just rubbed on some of the gel or something?"

"Yes, but an injection works faster. I only mixed the gel to make it easier for you."

The marine grinned. "I'm touched. After pain like that I might have killed you!"

"I know."

They made their way to Kh'val's meal chamber for a light snack, but did not remain for long. Kayla could not stop yawning and the gesture was becoming contagious. After the fifth open-mouthed groan from the human, he felt his own throat open even though Yautja did not yawn very often. The hunter snarled when his face was back under control.

"How is it that I am adapting all of your annoying habits? My stomach did not make half as much noise, I did not 'yawn' so frequently, nor was I as prone to sleep as I am now. You are a bad influence!"

"Meeee?" Her retort was absorbed by another yawn, making the single word draw out into a whine. "I can't help it if you're a copycat!" The marine ducked when he took a half-hearted swipe at her.

Kh'aan led the way to the Arbitrator's guest chamber. The simple room held a large bed of furs, a small table and stool, and a small washroom imbedded in one wall. Before he could speak the human shuffled forward and leapt onto the furs, seeming to disappear into their thickness. Her muffled voice said something that he could not make out.

"What was that?"

Kayla raised her head. "I said, 'do you kick in your sleep?'"

Kh'aan chuckled. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"If you said yes, I'd take the floor. But as long as I don't wind up a pincushion, I'll share."

She dropped her face back into the furs, and moments later her breathing steadied in sleep. Kh'aan snorted at the ridiculous human and covered her with a fur before lying down beside her. _This may be the last chance that we ever get._

########

########

AN: Hope you enjoy. I tried something different this time around - a correction of style, if you will. If you caught it, let me know what you think. If you didn't, don't sweat it.

Shameless Plug: **Janelle Monae**. Awesome artist. Awesome creative vision. Get _Metropolis _and _The Archandroid_, listen to them back to back, and hear the story she weaves. You can almost step right into it. Total, complete, and utter brilliance.

Oh, and thanks for all of your reviews and favs and alerts and just letting me know that this is still something good to read! You guys rock!

-da Cap'n


	39. Chapter 39

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 39 - Obsession & Possession_

########

Throbbing in his skull pounded the Arbitrator back to consciousness. He struggled to open his eyes, but they refused to cooperate against the bright light of the cell. _Cell? __Pauk!_ His burning orbs shot open to see the ceiling of one of his holding cells, and recent events rushed through his mind in a flash.

"**Kh'aan! You pauking traitor!" **

His voice echoed back from the walls making the agony in his skull intensify. _I __never __thought __he __would__ use__ that__ move __against__ me. __He __is__ usually __too __honorable__ for __his __own __good. _Kh'val eased slowly to a seated position against the wall. Vertigo swam through his body, and he chose to wait rather than immediately rise to his feet.

"**Ooman-rutting fool! Are you that desperate that you cannot wait for your own kind? Oh but yes…you are _FIRSTBORN!_ For all of your importance you are still a clueless pup! Pitiful spoiled disgrace! You probably would not even know which end to…"**

A loud bang echoed through his cell and moments later he heard the human yell. More sounds filtered through the bulkheads, sounding like a struggle in his laboratory, and suddenly the Arbitrator was on his feet.

"**YOU ****WOULD**** NOT**** DARE!****"** Kh'val kicked fiercely at the panel containing the door. His noise was echoed by another crash from overhead, and he distinctly heard Kh'aan's gruff laugh. **"****YOU**** WILL ****NOT ****PAUK ****THAT ****OOMAN ****ON**** MY**** SHIP!****" **

Rage consumed the unhinged Arbitrator, and he proceeded to throw himself at the walls of his cell. **"****FACE ****ME, ****COWARD! ****RUT**** THAT ****FILTH**** ON**** SOMEONE**** ELSE****'****S**** SHIP! ****KH****'****AAN! ****I ****WILL ****KILL**** YOU!****"**

The noise from the upper level stopped, but Kh'val was too far gone to care. His mind supplied vivid fuel for his rage, and with every disturbing image he attacked the cell with renewed fervor. **"****NOT. ****ON. ****MY.**** SHIP!**** PAUKING ****COWARD! ****FILTHY**** BAD ****BLOOD!**** YOU ****ARE ****A**** DISGRACE! ****GET ****YOUR ****FILL ****NOW,**** BROTHER! ****THERE**** WILL ****BE ****NOTHING ****LEFT ****WHEN ****I ****AM**** THROUGH!****"**

Kh'val slammed his fists into the walls until they bled. His rage knew no bounds as he threw himself at his prison, and deep down it was fueled not by hatred, but jealousy. _She __is__ mine!__ MINE!_

Kh'val charged the door and slammed his shoulder into the slowly denting metal. With each strike he felt the surface weaken, and his resolve strengthened until he felt no pain from the impacts. His arm grew numb and the skin on his shoulder began to tear from repeated assaults, but his blind rage ignored everything in favor of freedom.

Finally his strength gave out and the exhausted Arbitrator sank to the floor. It was entirely too silent on the ship for his liking, and he strained to pick up any sound other than his own ragged breathing. He gazed listlessly at the dented metal, and through the haze in his mind he suddenly realized that he had indeed dented it.

Weary and more than a little disoriented, Kh'val stood and shuffled over to the door. In the center of the panel there was a deep impression from his shoulder, but this did not interest him as much as the edges. Caving in the center of the panel was slowly pulling the edges out of their housing. As he ran his fingers along the rim, a tingle of anticipation shivered down his spine. He studied the frame carefully an noted where would benefit most from repeated pressure, and was just about to renew his assault on the door when he heard Kh'aan roar. His eyes rose to the ceiling, to his Kehrite directly overhead.

"**First ****you ****mount, ****then ****you ****maul? ****You ****are ****more**** disturbed**** than**** I ****thought, ****brother.****"** The scent of human blood filtered through the air processors, and he wondered how badly Kh'aan had damaged her. _**Enough**__** to **__**render **__**the **__**female **__**useless? **__Females __are __never__ '__useless__'__._

As the sounds of an intense skirmish grew above his head, the Arbitrator used the noise to his advantage. He timed his attacks to coincide with the ruckus in the Kehrite so that they would not hear his efforts to escape, and though he made good progress the battle was over all too quickly. Kh'val sat back from his handiwork and listened for any sounds from his 'prisoners'. The engines hummed quietly, but otherwise silence permeated the vessel.

Determination settled into his mind, and Kh'val approached the mangled panel with singular purpose. Wedging his thick fingers into the gaps around the frame, he began to slowly peel the metal from its housing. Though more time consuming, this method proved silent enough that he could barely hear his own efforts over the sounds of the ship. Once the frame was visible on all sides, he stopped to gauge the weakest spots in the housing. Finally, after hours of intense scrutiny the Arbitrator felt his confidence increase.

"**Keep your pet close, Kh'aan. Your time is running out."**

########

"**What?" **

Mr'sah winced at the shrill chirp from the pilot, Ti'nuk. She and Shl'nar had wasted no time gathering the rescuers and informing them of Kh'val's status, and by their expressions they had not anticipated failure of this magnitude.

Shl'nar placed a steadying hand on the young aide's back before nodding his concurrence. **"****Yes, ****we**** have**** just ****received ****word ****that ****Kh****'****val ****has**** found**** our ****friends, ****and**** is ****returning ****them ****to**** the**** Council**** as**** we ****speak.****" **His eyes showed the crew that he shared their shock and pain.

Mr'aal grunted and leaned heavily on the table in his chambers - the safest place for them at the moment. **"****I**** cannot ****believe ****that ****we ****have**** failed.**** That ****is ****it, ****is ****it**** not? ****There ****is**** nothing ****that ****we ****can ****do**** for ****them ****now.****"**

Shl'nar and Mr'sah exchanged a glance before they nodded solemnly. **"****I ****am ****afraid ****that ****you ****are**** right, ****Honored ****Elder,****"** the young aide admitted. **"****Now ****that**** they ****are ****in**** the ****Arbitrator****'****s ****custody, ****any ****attempt ****to ****assist ****them**** will**** be**** disastrous**** for ****us**** all.****"**

The High Elder's aide grunted. **"****If ****they**** were ****being ****held**** by ****anyone**** else ****I ****would**** suggest ****a**** rescue ****attempt, ****but ****Kh****'****val ****is ****not ****to ****be ****trifled**** with.**** We**** cannot ****risk ****interfering.****"**

Sin'kaj finally turned from his position by the viewport. **"****After ****everything**** that**** has ****happened, ****after ****all ****that**** we**** have ****promised ****them****…****we ****are ****just**** going ****to**** give**** up?****"**

"**There ****is**** nothing ****that ****we**** can**** do,**** short ****of ****defying ****the**** Council**** ourselves.****"** Fh'zaan snarled. **"****Should ****we ****steal**** a ****ship**** and**** rescue ****them?**** Perhaps**** we ****could**** mislead ****the**** Council? ****No,**** we ****will ****simply ****have ****to ****kill ****Arbitrator**** Kh****'****val, ****and**** the**** High ****Elder, ****and**** the ****Grand**** Matron****…"**

Mr'aal grasped the engineer's arm and held firm until he resumed his seat. **"****Your ****point ****is ****well ****made,**** Master ****Fh****'****zaan.**** Our ****hands ****are ****tied.****"**

The technicians huffed in exasperation and then rose from their seats, apparently unwilling to remain any longer. Ti'nuk, Fh'zaan and Sin'kaj gave their friends one last forlorn glance before returning to their stations. Their remorse was reflected by the others, and filled the room with the heavy oppression of despair. Once they had gone, Mr'sah and Shl'nar joined the old healer at the small table. No words were exchanged - there was nothing more to say - but they accepted the comfort of companionship in this dark moment.

"**I ****cannot ****believe ****that**** we**** have**** failed**** them.****"** Mr'aal's entire body drooped in his sadness. Images of Kh'aan happily interacting with the human refused to leave the old healer's mind, and he thought he might fall to pieces beneath the weight of his conscience. **"****The ****Council**** will**** execute ****them ****for**** certain.****"**

"**Not if I have anything to say about it." **

The aides and healer jumped in their seats at the voice of the new arrival, and they turned as one to see Grand Matron Sh'aan standing in the doorway with Mr'aal's Firstmate behind her. The older female nodded to her consort with a brief smile before securing the door behind the Grand Matron. With all eyes fixed on her, Sh'aan stepped forward and took the remaining seat at the table. Mr'aal noticed the shamed expressions on the aides and realized that they knew something that he did not, and he turned to the regal female with as much poise as he could muster.

"**I take it that you are aware of the situation, Grand Matron, including our parts in it?" **

She nodded with a small smile. **"****Yes.**** I ****believe ****that**** I ****know ****what ****is ****happening,**** old ****friend.****"**

Shl'nar took a deep breath. **"****Then ****you ****are ****aware ****that**** Kh****'****val**** will**** arrive**** with**** Kh****'****aan ****and**** the**** ooman ****in**** less ****than ****a**** week.****"**

"**Correction,****"** Sh'aan growled. **"****They**** will ****be ****here**** tomorrow.****"**

"**TOMORROW!****"** The aides and healer could not believe what they were hearing, though Mr'sah was the only one brave enough to question. ** "****Does ****this ****mean ****that**** Arbitrator**** Kh****'****val ****lied**** to ****the ****Council?****"**

When the Grand Matron nodded, Shl'nar's eyes lit up. **"****Then**** they**** must ****know**** of ****his ****treachery! ****It**** may ****be ****the**** only**** way**** to ****save ****Kh****'****aan ****and**** Kayla.**** If ****he ****is ****deemed ****unfit**** for**** his ****duties, ****they**** may ****question ****his ****role**** in ****this ****entire**** mission.**** They**** may****…"**

"**They ****may**** execute ****all**** three**** of ****them,**** Shl****'****nar.****"** Grand Matron Sh'aan's tone silenced the aide. **"****I ****understand ****that ****you**** still**** wish**** to**** help ****your ****friends.**** I, ****too,**** wish ****nothing**** more ****than**** for ****my ****Firstborn**** to**** emerge ****from ****this**** fiasco ****unscathed.**** Unfortunately,**** the ****facts ****indicate ****that**** Arbitrator**** Kh****'****val ****is**** acting ****on ****his**** own ****agenda.**** His ****jealousy ****toward ****Kh****'****aan ****has**** always**** been ****at ****the ****forefront ****of**** his ****actions,**** and ****I ****believe**** that**** now ****his ****hatred ****has**** overruled**** his ****logical ****judgment.****"**

At that moment Shl'nar's communicator beeped, and the weary voice of High Elder Kh'alik echoed throughout the room. **"**_**I **__**require **__**your**__** assistance, **__**Shl**__**'**__**nar. **__**Report **__**to **__**my **__**offices**__.__" _

"**At ****once, ****High ****Elder.****"** The aide rose from his seat, one hand resting lightly on Mr'sah's shoulder. He turned to the Grand Matron and bowed respectfully. **"****Please**** forgive**** our**** deception,**** Grand**** Matron.**** It**** was ****my**** doing ****that ****involved**** the**** others. ****If**** anyone ****is ****to ****be ****punished**** for ****it, ****I ****take ****full**** responsibility.****"**

Sh'aan nodded curtly, though her eyes conveyed a softer response. **"****Tell**** me,**** Shl****'****nar.**** Did ****you ****think ****Kh****'****aan**** was**** behaving ****irrationally ****before ****you**** met ****his ****companion?****"**

The aide paused, memories of the conversation with Kh'aan coming to the forefront of his troubled mind. **"****No, ****Grand ****Matron.**** From ****the ****beginning ****I**** agreed ****with ****him.**** I ****felt ****that ****it ****was**** dishonorable ****for**** the**** High ****Elder ****to**** leave ****the**** ooman**** to ****die, ****no ****matter ****the**** circumstance.**** If ****not ****for ****her, ****Kh****'****aan**** would**** have ****frozen ****to**** death.**** Even ****if ****it**** was ****unintentional,**** she**** deserved ****a ****more honorable ****fate.****"** He sighed heavily before bowing his head. **"****Kayla ****is ****an ****honorable**** warrior, ****regardless**** of ****her**** species.**** When ****I**** met ****her, ****I ****knew ****that ****Kh'aan ****had ****made**** the ****right ****decision.****"**

Mr'aal nodded. **"****She ****is ****far ****more**** gregarious ****than ****I ****would ****have**** thought**** of**** an**** ooman.**** Her ****kindness ****and**** compassion ****are ****equally ****rivaled ****by ****her ****ferocity ****and**** determination. ****Not ****to ****mention ****her intelligence and ****unwavering ****loyalty ****to ****Kh****'****aan.**** Interacting ****with**** such ****a**** unique creature ****is ****by ****far**** the**** most ****rewarding**** experience ****in ****my ****long**** life,**** and ****I**** would ****do**** all ****in ****my ****power ****to**** protect**** her ****from ****the**** Council.****"**

Sh'aan pondered their viewpoints carefully. After what she had seen over the comm. link, and now with this personal insight, she was certain that the Council was wrong. She bowed her head to Shl'nar in dismissal. **"****It ****is ****as ****I**** always ****feared.**** This**** entire ****situation ****has ****been ****exacerbated ****by ****prejudice.**** Tell**** High**** Elder**** Kh****'****alik**** that**** I ****wish ****to**** speak**** with**** him**** when**** your**** meeting**** has**** concluded.****"**

"**Yes, ****Grand**** Matron.****"** The High Elder's aide nodded to the group before his eyes locked with Mr'sah. The silent exchanged visibly strengthened their spirits, and he marched smartly from the room with his head held high.

Mr'aal caught the Grand Matron's eye and grinned knowingly before addressing the pride of his lineage. **"****Will ****you**** excuse ****us ****for**** a ****moment, ****my**** dear.**** We**** old**** ones ****must**** speak ****in**** private.****"**

The young aide tore her gaze from the door with difficulty, nodding absently while rising from her seat. **"****Of ****course, ****Honored**** Elder.****"**

Once she had left the room, Sh'aan hazarded a chuckle that grew into a tension-relieving laugh. **"****How ****long ****do**** you ****suppose**** that**** has ****been**** going**** on,**** old ****friend?****"**

Mr'aal snorted**.**** "****I**** suspect ****not ****for ****long.**** Shl****'****nar ****has ****been**** entirely ****too**** controlled ****until**** recently.**** He**** would**** never**** have ****approached ****her ****before ****our ****adventure ****eased ****his ****demeanor.****"**

Sh'aan's smile did not reach her eyes. **"****Another**** positive**** result**** of ****Kh****'****aan****'****s ****impulsive ****actions.****" **She leaned forward with her arms crossed on the table, and after a heavy breath met the old healer's eyes. **"****I**** spoke ****to**** him.****"**

Mr'aal snapped forward in his seat. **"****What! ****When?****"**

"**Several ****hours ****ago.**** They**** have ****gained**** control**** of ****Kh****'****val****'****s ****ship.****"** Sh'aan saw hope bloom in the old healer's eyes and quickly covered his shaking hands with her own. **"****Kh****'****aan**** would ****not**** explain ****the**** circumstances, ****only**** that**** '****Kh****'****val ****was ****behaving ****dishonorably, ****and ****it**** was ****necessary ****to**** confine ****him ****before**** he**** harmed ****anyone****'****.**** I**** can ****only ****imagine**** what ****is ****happening ****out**** there.****"**

Mr'aal could not believe what he was hearing. **"****And**** Kayla? ****Did ****you ****see**** Kayla?****"** The hope in his voice made the regal female smile.

"**Yes. She stood behind him when we spoke. She seems to be a very interesting creature. Not at all what I expected, more-so for their easy camaraderie. She has quite an effect on him, more than I think she realizes."**

The old healer nodded, a smile twitching across his features. **"****More ****than ****I ****think**** he**** realizes,**** Grand**** Matron. ****Even ****early**** on**** when**** we**** found ****them****…"** Mr'aal suddenly snapped his mouth shut. He warily met Sh'aan's gaze, but the regal female's eyes held nothing but curiosity.

"**I feel that I have said too much, but I suppose it is too late now. As I said, when we found them, Shl'nar said that though Kh'aan was unconscious, Kayla was fierce in her defense of him. After Kh'aan was healed, something happened to damage her further and he was beside himself with worry. She has been at the forefront of his concerns ever since."**

Sh'aan chuckled, but the sound was strained. **"****We ****can ****only**** hope ****that ****they**** watch**** out ****for ****each**** other.**** This ****is ****out ****of**** our**** hands ****now.****" **

########

In the guest chamber, the two fugitives struggled through restless slumber. Neither knew that they were dreaming along the same lines - facing the council, concern over their sentence, and overwhelming fear of losing the other. Kh'aan awoke first, with his feet tangled in the furs and a roar caught in his throat. He could not escape the image of his sire handing Kayla over to Kh'val, and the evil grin on his brother's face seemed burned into his mind. _Paya, __I __beg __of__ you,__ do __not__ let__ them__ give__ her__ to__ him. __I__ will__ pay__ any __price__ you__ demand__…__willingly.__ I __will __gladly__ offer__ my __life__ for__ hers. __Please __do __not__ let __that__ horror be real__._ He let out a heavy breath that shook too much for his liking and then rolled to his side.

Kayla lay curled on her side with her back to him, but he could see that she was shaking in her sleep. He scooted forward and lightly rested a hand on her shoulder to try to calm her, but the touch jerked her out of slumber. The human abruptly sat up with raised hands as a strangled cry escaped her lips.

"NO!"

Kh'aan quickly sat up with her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Her heart was racing frantically, and she briefly flinched before sagging against his side. Her body continued to tremble, but the marine took deep breaths in an effort to calm down.

"Dear god…just a dream!"

Kh'aan purred and pulled her closer, rubbing his jaw against her hair. As her systems settled down, Kayla slid her left arm around his waist and took another deep breath. She raised her eyes to his, and was surprised to see the same strain that she felt. "You too?"

The hunter's upper tusks twitched nervously before he nodded, and the arm around him squeezed. After another heavy sigh, Kh'aan leaned back to lie down and pulled the human with him. Kayla eased her arm out from under his bulk and stretched out at his side, draping her right arm across his stomach. Another shudder coursed through her frame, and he purred in response until she stilled. After a few minutes she blew out a harsh breath.

"There was a large room. There were dozens of figures in white robes. I know they were your kind, but they stood in shadow. Your brother was there." She shivered again. "I can still smell the air…feel your blood on my face!" She felt Kh'aan tense and nodded. "They made me watch, Kh'aan. They forced me to watch him beat you to death. Not honorable combat, just complete brutality."

Her words came out in a rush and she buried her face in his side. Releasing the images from her mind helped to erase them from her memory, but the sliver of truth in the vision was enough to make her cringe. Kh'aan's arms tightened around her and his purr deepened, rumbling through her bones like a soothing massage. Then suddenly it stuttered off into a growl.

The hunter shivered, and felt Kayla's arm tighten across his torso. "I was taken before the Council. They sentenced me to death, as I expected, but in the middle of my execution Kh'val arrived. My sire, he gave you to him. He placed you in Kh'val's hands as though you were a trophy!" His words snarled from his mouth, and Kayla winced when his grip tightened to almost suffocating proportions. After another tense breath he loosened his hold, but his tusks tapped rapidly in his agitation.

The human leaned up on her elbow and tried to smile, but he could see that she was uneasy. "They say that if you dream something, the opposite will happen."

Kh'aan snorted. "Whoever 'they' are, I hope that 'they' are right." His eyes met hers. "Many will die if 'they' are wrong."

Kayla's smile fell as clouds crossed her eyes. "That goes double for me."

They held each other's gaze for another heavy breath, emotions coursing between them like electricity. Then the human suddenly leaned forward and planted a light kiss on his brow. Before he could react she turned around and curled up on her side, using his arm as a pillow. Kh'aan shook off his astonishment and rolled to his side, his massive body surrounding hers in a cocoon of Yautja. He tucked an arm across her middle, and Kayla grasped his hand and pulled it up under her chin. She felt him scoot closer until they were completely aligned, and the marine released a shaky breath. _Please__ God,__ no __interruptions?__ Just __a __little__ peace?_

They dozed for a while - too alert to sleep, too content to move, and far too happy to be concerned with the immediate future. Kh'aan bent his right arm up until his talons barely reached Kayla's hair, and he twirled them through the strands idly while a contented purr shook him from head to toe. The sensation rumbled through the human in their proximity and she squirmed in spite of herself, the feeling so odd as to almost tickle her insides. The hunter chuckled, his breath closer to her ear than she'd anticipated.

"What's so funny?" she murmured.

His jaw rubbed against her head gently and the fingers in her grasp flexed before tightening. "You."

"Me? What did I do?"

Kh'aan stretched his arm back out and a smile twitched his mandibles. "Why did you move like that?"

Kayla grunted. "Answer a question with a question, eh? I can do that too." She rubbed her ear against his arm. "Move like what?"

The tingling rumble deepened and the marine felt goose bumps raise across her skin. Again she squirmed involuntarily, and heard him laugh.

"Like that."

"Because that purring you do is like a current through my bones, that's why." Kayla felt her face burning. "I couldn't sit still if I tried."

To her chagrin, the sensation tripled in intensity, Kh'aan's whole body seeming to vibrate from deep within his chest. In the passing of a few seconds she felt like putty in his hands. "Sss…ssstop! I c…can't th...th…think when you d…d…do that!" Her closed eyes rolled beneath their lids and though she had just made the demand, she didn't want him to stop.

After nearly an eternity Kh'aan finally relented. Though he had no desire to move from their current position, he noticed new stimulation occurring as a result of their proximity. As much as he was coming to care for her, he was not exactly ready to think about _that_. Instead he simply closed his eyes and gently rubbed his jaw against her hair. After a moment he felt Kayla sigh heavily, and she began to mirror his gesture along the arm beneath her ear.

Kh'aan allowed the bliss of peace to swallow him, and it took a moment to realize that there was something wet on his arm. Kayla made no sound of discomfort, but he knew what it was and tightened his arms around her. When she whimpered at his strong embrace, he purred and nuzzled her with his tusks.

"No need."

He felt the human shift slightly, and then she wiped at her eyes. "Can't help it. Didn't even know, really."

"Liar."

Kayla peered at him over her shoulder, a frown creasing her brow, but before she could open her mouth he placed a finger to her lips. "I will not be separated from you again, Kayla. I swear it."

The human grinned and shivered at the same time, and brought a hand up to clutch his fingers in her own. "As do I."

Neither knew or cared how long they lay there, comfortable and safe for this fleeting moment in their brief history. Kh'aan's senses memorized Kayla's every nuance, from the smooth skin pressed to his, to her unique scent that invaded and consumed him. The thought that he might never hold her this way again tried to disrupt his contentment, but he ignored it with every fiber of his being.

Kayla gave up on any pretense of propriety. The overwhelming thought in her mind screamed that she wanted to stay right where they were, and she tightened her bent knees over his as best she could while squeezing the hand in her grasp. Their lives had been a rollercoaster up until now, and she wanted to stay on the carousel as long as possible before the music ended.

*BANG!*

"Not again." Kayla groaned and covered her exposed ear with Kh'aan's fist.

*BANG!*

"**What ****now?****"** Kh'aan snarled and tried to drown out the sound by pulling furs over their heads.

*BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*

Kayla groaned and rolled to her back, her nose brushing Kh'aan's lower mandibles in their proximity. The hunter was trying very hard not to snarl, and she raised a hand to his cheek while rolling her eyes.

*BANG*

"Come on. Better check on him before he beats the door down."

Kh'aan growled and brushed his tusks across her cheeks. "No."

*BANG!*

"If I go down there by myself, you know I'll find a way to kill him."

When he met her eyes they were daring him to let her go. "I would like that…but it is not a good idea."

*CRASH!*

Kh'aan and Kayla shot from the furs in alarm. The bulkheads vibrated from the force, and beneath the tremors they felt heavy footfalls charging through the ship. They shared a wary glance that exchanged more than words, and then rushed from the chamber.

$%$%$%$%$

AN: Hey there peoples. Um…heh…I regret to inform you that, uh, the end is no longer in sight. Honestly I had it in my scopes. It was right there in flashing red and yellow lights, the banners flying, the crowd ready to do the wave…

And then the brain went haywire. Visions of future K&K went dancing (rather, MOSHING) through my head, and I'll be damned if it wasn't a rainbow technicolor trip of epic proportions. By the time my feet hit the ground again, I realized that what I've had planned since I started this story was no longer enough. Not with such delicious madness just waiting to be put to paper. Who am I to deny K&K further existence, adventure, and possibly (dare I say it) romance! Muse ripped me a new one…"Who the F do you think you are, Razz!" I had to humbly hang my head…"Dunno…was just writin', man. Wasn't hurtin' nobody." Muse wouldn't hear of it. "But there's more, you colossal nincompoop! You can't just cut this off at the pass!"

The muse is making a strong argument…and if the sudden onslaught of delicious ideas is not enough to convince me, the thought that I just don't want to end it yet is definitely fueling the fire. So…we'll see. Between now and next chap, I've got some thinking to do.

In the meantime, sorry so short, should suffice, succulently sinful, somewhat sensational, sorta snarky, and simply satisfying. Enjoy!

-Captain "I am a slave to my Muse, but all I got was this lousy t-shirt" Razz

Another note...for anyone having a problem with their words running together...it's the quotation marks. If they are bold with the sentence, the FF doc manager thing runs the words together. But if they aren't...it doesn't touch them. Odd and a pain in the butt...but try not to change the quotes...see if it works. I don't know why the italics words do it, but for bold, it's the quotes. - 'da Cap'n


	40. Chapter 40

_**A Fine Mess**_

_Chapter 40 - Crossroads_

########

They scrambled into the corridor at the same time that Kh'val thundered up the access stairs. Kh'aan did not stop his charge, and slammed into the Arbitrator the moment he reached the landing. Kh'val's hands struggled to get a grip on the hunter but could not find any purchase. They crashed into the bulkhead and tumbled to the floor with Kh'aan's arm across his throat. The Arbitrator snarled and gripped the hunter by the head, squeezing until Kh'aan felt the pressure increase in his skull. He snapped his elbow up under Kh'val's chin before rolling to his feet, and seconds later lashed out with a kick to the Arbitrator's face. Kh'val grasped his foot and pushed back, knocking his brother into the railing around the access stairs. He lunged to his feet charging forward, intent on knocking Kh'aan down the stairs, but before he could reach his brother a large pipe swung out from the left and cracked beneath his jaw. Kh'val reeled back with his vision swimming, and he saw the human advance swinging the pipe for another strike.

Kayla stopped short when Kh'aan collided with his brother. Her eyes scanned the corridor for something to use as a weapon, and was provided for when the two hunters crashed into the wall. Their impact knocked one of the pipes loose, and she wrenched it free before turning to join the fight. Kh'aan stumbled back into the railing leaving a large dent in the metal, and Kayla darted in front of him with images of softball games flying through her mind. She swung the pipe in three wide arcs before following through with the momentum, and was satisfied not only to hear the impact, but to also see one of Kh'val's teeth fly from his mouth on an arc of green blood. She wound up for another swing, but the Arbitrator quickly snared the pipe in his hand and yanked it from her grip. He brought it down aiming to crush her skull, but the marine spun out of the way while bringing her leg up in a high kick. As Kh'val's hand dropped beneath her reach she brought her heel down on his wrist. A loud crack echoed down the corridor, and the Arbitrator howled as the pipe dropped from his weakened hand. She used her momentum to spin again, intending to deliver another kick to the deranged Yautja, but Kh'val recovered too quickly. He lashed out with his left arm and caught her squarely in the chest with a thunderous fist. Kayla flew backwards from the impact and landed in a heap halfway down the corridor.

Kh'val straightened with some difficulty and immediately felt another arm wrap around his throat. Kh'aan grasped the Arbitrator's skull with his left hand while squeezing his right forearm across Kh'val's neck. He pulled in opposite directions waiting for the pop of his brother's spine, but Kh'val suddenly made a fist of his damaged hand and slammed it up between Kh'aan's eyes. The Arbitrator snarled at the pain in his arm, but he managed to duck out of Kh'aan's grip while the hunter tried to clear his vision. He grasped his brother's arm and yanked him in a tight circle, throwing the hunter head-first into the wall. Kh'aan's hard cranium crashed through the metal panel, and Kh'val let out a bone-chilling chitter as he ripped the hunter back out of the hole. An edge of the metal lashed across Kh'aan's face and tore through his right mandible, leaving the lower tusk to dangle uselessly. The hunter roared and threw back his head, satisfied when he felt the back of his skull crash into Kh'val's face.

Kayla winced at the pain consuming her body. Her chest felt crushed, and her spine was screaming from her awkward landing. She squinted and gritted her teeth before rising to her knees, and then hazarded a glance at the battle mere feet away. Though they were double-teaming the Arbitrator, they were still more battered than he. She watched as blood flew from Kh'aan's torn mandible, the sight cutting through her body's lack of response. The marine's eyes darted down and spotted the discarded pipe, or more importantly, it's ragged end from where she had torn it from the wall. _Bastard! __Shove __this __up __your __pie __hole!_ She scrambled forward as fast as she could and dove past their legs. Her hands blindly clasped the pipe as she rolled upright, and she turned in time to duck as Kh'aan went sailing over her head from another brute-force throw.

The hunter rolled through being tossed and came to his feet with a roar. A pleased smirk twitched the un-mangled side of his face when he saw Kayla spin beneath the Arbitrator's grasp, but he had to focus again as Kh'val charged. Their clawed hands locked together, talons gouging into each other's flesh, and the previous shoving match resumed with a vengeance. Kh'val's strength was waning, but Kh'aan's slight distraction was enough to keep him off balance. The Arbitrator caught his eyes darting to the human again, and in that split-second he whipped his hands out and downward until he had the advantage in their position. Kh'aan's eyes squeezed shut as he felt his shoulders and elbows bending against their natural motion, and Kh'val grinned as he applied more pressure. Just as they both thought that Kh'aan's arms would snap, a bloody metal pipe suddenly protruded from Kh'val's abdomen. The Arbitrator roared as Kayla hopped back, and then she leapt and spun with her knee drawn up to her chest. With a forceful shout she kicked at the pipe with the sole of her foot. The impact jarred the metal through Kh'val's insides, and he stumbled back as the shock coursed through his body.

Kh'val gasped as the pipe gouged through his gut. Through the haze of agony he saw Kh'aan and the human move into flanking positions, and he gritted his teeth with a snarl. In one quick maneuver he yanked the pipe from his abdomen and swung it to his left. The human ducked the flying metal, but the Arbitrator had anticipated her swift action and followed through with his right fist below her jaw. The human cried out briefly as the impact launched her into the air. She slammed into the ceiling before crashing to the floor, and he snorted when she lay still. Simultaneously his senses caught movement from Kh'aan, and Kh'val ducked under a hard fist aimed for his head. As he rose he stepped into his brother's personal space, and at the last second forced more power into his legs. His hard skull slammed under Kh'aan's jaw and knocked the hunter off of his feet, and Kh'val wasted no time securing his grip on the pipe for a final blow.

Kh'aan felt his neck snap awkwardly from the force of Kh'val's strike, and as he watched his brother approach he was horrified to realize that he could not move. His fingers tingled as he willed his limbs to move, but his body refused to cooperate. His eyes widened as the Arbitrator gripped the pipe in both hands and raised it overhead. _Paya, __protect __her._

Kh'val brought the pipe down, having decided at the last minute that he wanted his brother to suffer further. Instead of cleaving the hunter's head in two, he stabbed the pipe down into his torso. It passed through him like a hot blade through snow and then wedged into the floor grating, and Kh'val wound it through his brother's body as though stirring a thick stew. Kh'aan arched awkwardly as the pipe tore through him, and blood spattered the Arbitrator's knees as it spewed from his mouth. He thrashed involuntarily, effectively snapping his neck back into place, but every movement tore the pipe through his insides. Blood welled in Kh'aan's throat and his head fell back to the floor with a heavy thud.

Kh'val released the pipe and leaned forward, his own blood running freely from his matching wound. "**A ****present ****from ****your ****pet, ****traitor. ****Speaking ****of ****which****…**"

"**No!**" Kh'aan's voice gurgled weakly. "**Leave ****her ****alone!**"

Kh'val glanced at the incapacitated hunter, his blood beginning to sing. "**Anticipation ****is ****half ****of ****the ****pleasure, ****Kh****'****aan****…****and ****I ****have ****waited ****entirely ****too ****long.**"

Kh'aan watched in horror as the Arbitrator stalked toward the human. "NO! KAYLA! WAKE UP!" Shouting surged more blood from his chest and the hunter began to choke. "**Kh****'****val! ****DO ****NOT ****TOUCH ****HER!**"

"**What ****was ****yours ****is ****now ****mine, ****brother.**"

########

Haze clouded Kayla's brain, but Kh'aan's voice cut through enough to make her open her eyes. Her heart lurched into her throat at the sight of her companion immobilized on the floor, and it took great effort to ignore the blind panic welling up into a scream. As Kh'val turned toward her, she heaved to her hands and scooted backwards. Her back collided with a corner, and she glanced over her shoulder to see a dimly lit room with gleaming weapons covering every surface. Her eyes snapped back around to the Arbitrator, now nearly within reach, and she snarled at the eager expression on his features.

"No way! I'm not stupid!"

Though the thought of having a weapon was appealing, she was not about to run into an enclosed room. Kh'val suddenly lunged forward as though to grab her, but the marine quickly ducked around his legs and scrambled to her feet. The Arbitrator growled behind her as she raced for the access stairs, pausing only for a heartbeat to lock eyes with Kh'aan. She whimpered at the fear in his eyes, but there was no time to waste and she half-ran, half-vaulted down the stairs.

Kh'val's crest stood on end and he roared at the retreating human. His injuries forgotten, he plowed down the stairs three at a time. The thrill of a chase within his own ship added to his heightened anticipation, and he paused to track the female's scent among the smells of the engineering level. Once certain that she was not hiding in the cell block, he locked and sealed the door. Even disabling the panel would not open it now. The Arbitrator chittered, and the sound echoed eerily through the lanes.

"SMELL YOU, OOMAN! NOT HIDE!"

Kayla winced at the obvious and her eyes darted around the narrow lane. _This __was __equally __stupid, __marine! _She was wedged between a humming circuit panel and a cluster of pipes that disappeared into a hole in the floor, and her nerves screamed to get out before he cornered her. Another breathless heartbeat passed before she made a decision, and then the marine wriggled into the tiny space between the pipes. Memories of the exhaust vent surfaced, and Kayla choked on a laugh as she passed Kh'val's legs two lanes away. _Just __stay __over __there__…__stay __away __from __the __stairs._ As though hearing her thoughts, the Arbitrator suddenly backtracked to the central access and resumed sniffing the air. _Fuck!_

Kh'val's patience was wearing thin, ebbing from his pores like the blood oozing from his stomach. The female's scent was easy enough to recognize, but with so many other scents on this level it was difficult to pinpoint her location. _Crafty __ooman. __But __your __wits __will __not __save __you._ The Arbitrator had encountered human females before, and their tendency to panic in frightening situations had always worked to his advantage. With this thought in mind, he roared with as much power as he could muster. The sound bellowed through the engineering deck like a thousand engines powering up at once, but he was disappointed when Kh'aan's pet did not cry out and reveal herself.

"COME OUT, OOMAN! NO ESCAPE." He did not expect her to answer, but her voice echoed through the deck from all directions.

"FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE!"

The Arbitrator snarled and charged down a lane to the left, leading to the weapons array. Something told him that this female was playing games with him, and the thought made his blood boil. _You __will __regret __this__…__I __swear __it._

Kayla rolled beneath a collection of heating elements and came up against an outer bulkhead. She paused to catch her breath, and watched it steam in the air beneath the glowing coils less than two feet from her face. _I__'__ve __got __to __get __back __to __Kh__'__aan! __But __how __do __I __throw __this __psycho __off __the __scent? _Suddenly it hit her, and though the idea made the marine cringe with mild disgust, its brilliance overruled etiquette in all forms. While mindful of the searing heat above her head, Kayla's hand eased down until it reached the waistband of her pants. She winced at how crude her idea was, but when being hunted by a bloodhound, one had to make difficult choices. _This __is __the __song __that __doesn__'__t __end__…_the human's fingers gathered what they could, since her mood was less than cooperative. _It __just __goes __on __and __on __my __friend__…_she eased her hand up to the bulkhead and, finding the warmest section of metal, wiped herself on the wall. _Oh __god, __Kirkpatrick __would __love __this._

Kayla rolled out of the nook and scrambled down the lane, turning right as she spotted steam coming from behind a large metal cylinder. Squeezing between what she felt was a cooling unit and another stand of pipes, the marine eased down to the floor and squeezed into the tiny space beneath what looked like some sort of combustion device. _And __you __call __me __primitive! __That __looks __like __crude __oil __to __me. _She hesitantly touched the metal cube, finding its surface mildly hot, and marked the area around it before darting away from approaching footsteps.

Kh'val was growing more livid by the second. The human's scent was growing stronger in the confined spaces of engineering, and he was having difficulty tracing the source when it seemed to come from all sides. He'd followed her to the back of the ship, only to come up empty when he searched every corner. The scent reached him again and he charged off toward the cooling unit, but again there was no trace of her - only the lingering scent of female essence that cast his senses reeling.

"I WILL FIND YOU!"

"YOU AND WHAT ARMY, PSYCHO!"

Kh'val turned around and raced back in the direction of her voice. Kayla, having marked nearly every warm surface on the level, watched from beneath the access stairs as the furious Arbitrator fell for another ruse. The moment he was out of sight she ran up to the main level, falling to her knees at Kh'aan's side.

"Get up! Come on, he won't stay lost for long!"

Kh'aan's eyes were hazy as blood oozed out of his body in a light but steady stream. "Kayla? How?"

"No time!" The marine nearly cried at his listless voice, but she carefully grasped the pipe and tried to focus. "When I say pull, ok?" Kh'aan nodded and grasped the pipe beneath her hands. "One, Two, Three…PULL!"

They heaved at the pipe, but its broken end was too mangled to come back through the floor grating. Kh'aan abruptly released his grip as he convulsed and coughed up more blood. The human whined as fear for him clouded her senses, but she choked down the emotions and snarled at him. "AGAIN! PULL!"

Kh'aan could not believe that Kayla had eluded his brother. His strength was failing, but he heaved at the pipe in earnest. With his eyes squeezed shut and the grinding of metal all around, he did not notice Kh'val until it was too late. The Arbitrator grasped Kayla by her throat and yanked her back, tossing the female down the corridor where she skidded to a stop in front of the armory. The disoriented marine held a hand to the knot forming on the back of her skull, and without thinking she crawled into the room.

Kh'val snorted as fire surged through his veins. He strolled to the doorway with a smirk on his features, watching as the female heaved to her feet on the far side of the room. As he crossed the threshold and reached to close the door, his brother's weak voice cried out from the corridor.

"**KH****'****VAL! ****NOOO!**"

The door hissed shut with a click of the lock, and Kayla felt her throat run dry when she realized that she'd been cornered anyway. The Arbitrator rolled his neck and wiped idly at the wound in his stomach.

"Choose, ooman," he rasped. "More fun."

She hesitated only a moment, her eyes flitting wildly about the room, and then she dove to the right side of the central table. Kh'val moved to intercept her, but she rolled beneath the table and came up against a wall covered with knives. Grasping two quickly, she turned and threw them in Kh'val's direction. The Arbitrator ducked one blade, but the other imbedded in his raised forearm. Kayla immediately grasped another blade and rolled beneath the advancing threat. She lashed out at his ankles as she passed and was pleased to hear a pained snarl.

Kh'val growled and yanked the dagger from his arm. The human was faster than he thought, and he focused on her movements as she searched for a more formidable weapon. When her eyes settled on something to his right, he lunged forward before she could react. He clamped a hand around her throat and lifted the female from the floor to slam her into the wall, trilling with glee when she gasped at the shuriken now protruding from her side. He leaned forward to breathe in her scent and found himself pleasantly surprised. _He __has __not __taken __her! __For __shame __brother__…__now __you __never __will._

Kayla felt the bones in her throat grind together as the Arbitrator squeezed, and she fumbled to reverse the blade still clenched in her right hand. As her vision began to cloud, she brought up her hand and plunged the knife into the juncture where his neck met his shoulder. She missed any major blood vessels, but it still caused him to release his hold. The marine fell to the floor and grimaced as she ripped the heavy device out of her flesh. It was a large disk with holes for fingers to grasp, and blades sprouted from the edges like rays of an artist's sun. Without thinking she slid her fingers into the holes, and whipped her arm out in an arc while rolling away from the Arbitrator's legs.

The sharp blades cut into Kh'val's calf making him take a step back, but it was not enough to incapacitate him. As he ripped the dagger from his neck, the Arbitrator slammed his foot down heavily on her left arm and Kayla felt the bones snap. She scrambled forward desperately cradling her arm, but another kick to her midsection launched the marine into the air and she collided with the table. Kh'val grasped her by the back of her pants and lifted her up over his head. She struggled weakly, but his kick broke several of her ribs and the impact with the table shot fire down her spine. The Arbitrator sneered, and then brought her down face first into the table. The human's teeth bit into her lip, and she felt her nose crush against the table before she was raised into the air and slammed down again.

Kh'val chittered gleefully as he proceeded to swing her into every available surface. When her skull slammed into the wall for a fourth hard thud the human abruptly went limp, and the Arbitrator pulled her close to see if he'd accidentally killed his prize. Faint breath hissed through her lips, but he was pleased to notice that her eyes were struggling to open. His loins tightened painfully as he threw her across the table. _Mine._

########

Kh'aan tried desperately to dislodge the pipe, but the floor grating held it firm through his torso. The sounds of an intense struggle sounded through the door to the armory, and his blood ran cold at the thought of Kayla at Kh'val's mercy. He gritted his teeth and reached up to the railing around the stairs. Just as his hand got a firm grip on the metal, Kayla screamed at the top of her lungs. The sound ripped through him like a thousand blades, and he wrenched his body off of the pipe without feeling it tear through his flesh. His strength left him just as quickly, and he fell to the floor as the human shrieked again. His brother let out a triumphant howl, and Kayla's pained wails took on a rhythm that chilled Kh'aan to the bone.

Unsettling grunts echoed from the armory as he tried to crawl across the corridor, and then the scent of rut reached him. Kayla screams were endless, but the strength in her voice was fading rapidly. Kh'aan snarled, rage and fear filling him like nothing he'd ever known. He heaved to his feet and stumbled into the med-lab, fumbling blindly for the stimulants while his heart tore to pieces at the sounds coming from the armory. Just as he found the syringe, Kayla's voice peaked in an inhuman cry…and then abruptly ceased. Kh'aan wasted no time jabbing the needle into his heart, and as the stimulants surged through his veins he threw back his head and roared. The hunter charged across the corridor, the stimulants enabling him to rip the pipe from the floor in passing, and he swung it down on the panel to the armory. The controls shattered into several pieces in a shower of sparks, and the door hissed open to reveal horror beyond his imagination.

Kayla lay strewn across the central table, her arms bent awkwardly behind her back as though Kh'val had dislocated both of her shoulders. He could barely make out her features beneath the blood that covered her face, but more horrifying was the sight of his brother _mounting __her_! Kh'val's expression was pure ecstasy as he assaulted the human without mercy, and he was covered with her blood from the middle of his chest all the way down to his knees. Unaware that Kh'aan had arrived, the Arbitrator let out a blissful growl and thrust with enough force to dislodge the table from its housing. He licked Kayla's blood from his fingers and then raised his hand above her back, talons poised to rip out her spine.

Kh'aan's roar shook every support and bulkhead on the ship. Something snapped within the once stoic hunter, and he plowed into his brother just as Kh'val raised clouded eyes at the interruption. His impact ripped the Arbitrator violently out of Kayla's battered body, and she dropped to the floor in a boneless heap. Kh'aan slammed Kh'val into the wall with enough force to tear a hole in the metal. He snarled in the Arbitrator's face, and then gripped him by the throat and threw him to the floor. The euphoria clouding Kh'val's mind faded enough to see unbridled rage in his brother's eyes, but his slow reaction time removed all chance of escape. Kh'aan squeezed until his talons pierced the Arbitrator's flesh, and Kh'val gasped as blood began to fill his throat. His hands came up clawing at Kh'aan's grip, but the hunter's fury would not be broken. Kh'val's eyes widened as blood spurted from his mouth, but even in the face of defeat he grinned triumphantly.

"**You ****will****…****never ****know****…****how ****sweet ****she ****was.**"

Kh'aan shook with murderous rage. _HE TOUCHED MY...HE TOOK MY...SHE IS MINE!__! KAYLA IS MINE! YOU WILL DIE! _Vengeance consumed him, and he yanked Kh'val up by the throat only to slam his skull back to the floor. The Arbitrator's eyes crossed from the impact, and Kh'aan raised and slammed him down again. The image of his brother raping Kayla raced through the hunter's mind in blinding flashes, and he crashed Kh'val's skull into the floor repeatedly while howls of agony ripped from his throat.

Eventually his senses came back to him, and Kh'aan realized that he was crushing his own knuckles on the hard floor. He looked down to see a cracked and mangled skull where the Arbitrator's head used to be, with a splatter of brain and blood radiating out across the floor. He released Kh'val's throat with difficulty, his hands unwilling to relax, and sat back heavily on his heels. As the traumatized hunter stared at his brother's body, he heard a ragged breath and whirled around to see Kayla motionless on the floor. His vision swam at the sight of her, and he could barely control his limbs as he scrambled across the room.

_Oh no! Please! No!_

########

Grand Matron Sh'aan nodded to Shl'nar as the aide opened High Elder Kh'alik's chamber door. "**How ****is ****he?**"

"**In ****a ****less ****than ****savory ****mood, ****Grand ****Matron. ****Tread ****lightly.**" He bowed respectfully before closing the door behind her. The regal female turned back to her fellow leader, and the breath caught in her throat at his haggard appearance. Kh'alik's eyes rose to her as she crossed the room, and a weary growl rumbled from his chest.

"**What ****is ****it, ****Sh****'****aan? ****I ****am ****tired.**"

She had intended to attempt reasoning with him, but from Kh'alik's demeanor Sh'aan realized that there would be no discussion today. "**I ****simply ****wanted ****to ****check ****on ****you, ****my ****friend.**" She sat gracefully opposite his desk, and they tensely held each other's gaze.

Kh'alik sighed heavily. "**Elder ****Ne****'****hak ****continues ****to ****assert ****that ****Kh****'****val ****will ****arrive ****in ****six ****days ****- ****now ****four. ****Short ****of ****telling ****him ****that ****Kh****'****aan ****has ****control ****of ****the ****ship, ****I ****have ****been ****unable ****to ****convince ****him ****of ****the ****facts.**"

Sh'aan nodded slowly, her own weary state being fueled by the exhausted Elder before her. "**Ne****'****hak ****and ****Zheva ****have ****never ****been ****very ****receptive ****to ****reason. ****You ****have ****done ****all ****that ****you ****could.**"

"**It ****is ****not ****enough, ****Sh****'****aan. ****You ****do ****not ****know ****the ****regret ****I ****feel. ****I ****was ****so ****wrong ****in ****all ****of ****this. ****And ****yet ****now ****it ****is ****too ****late. ****I ****cannot ****alter ****events. ****I ****cannot ****travel ****back ****through ****time ****and ****change ****my ****actions. ****I ****have ****never ****felt ****so ****completely ****humbled ****in ****all ****my ****life, ****and ****I ****have ****sentenced ****my ****Firstborn ****to ****death.**"

"**No, ****Kh****'****alik.**" She reached across the desk to grasp his hand. "**You ****have ****done ****nothing ****of ****the ****sort. ****We ****will ****not ****know ****his ****sentence ****until ****it ****comes.**"

"**I ****know ****what ****they ****want. ****They ****want ****to ****destroy ****him ****as ****an ****example ****to ****the ****rest. ****To i****nsure ****that ****this ****never ****happens ****again, ****they ****will ****humiliate ****Kh****'****aan ****and ****strip ****him ****of ****his ****honor. ****How ****could ****I ****have ****allowed ****this ****to ****happen?**"

"**You ****are ****not ****solely ****to ****blame, ****High ****Elder. ****Do ****not ****take ****this ****all ****upon ****yourself.**"

Hours passed quietly as the Elders pondered the uncertain future. They tried to find strength in logic and reason, but the threat to the pride of their lives made impartial response nearly impossible. Finally the Grand Matron rose from her seat with a short nod.

"**I ****must ****see ****to ****other ****things, ****Kh****'****alik. ****Please, ****do ****not ****hesitate ****to ****send ****for ****me, ****for ****any ****reason.**"

The High Elder raised his haunted gaze and seemed to nod hesitantly, but before she could leave the communicator beeped indicating an incoming transmission. Sh'aan rushed around the desk while Kh'alik all but punched the control panel to bring up the link. The Elder nearly choked on his breath at the image that greeted them.

Kh'aan stared into the feed with hooded eyes, pain and sorrow etched like a mask across his face. They could not miss the hasty repair on his right mandible, nor the bruises flaring brightly with heat beneath his skin. He appeared ready to either crumble to pieces or tear something apart, and the elders waited fearfully for him to address them.

After several deep breaths Kh'aan finally spoke. "_**Forgive **__**me.**_"

Kh'alik blinked rapidly, unable to understand his meaning, while Sh'aan absently reached forward to his image. "**Forgive ****you? ****Why, ****Kh****'****aan? ****What ****has ****happened?**"

The hunter sighed heavily as his gaze darted down to the console. He seemed to shudder involuntarily, and his eyes squeezed shut as he rubbed a hand across his face. Finally he took a deep breath and again held their gaze. "_**I**__**…**__**we **__**will **__**not **__**be **__**returning.**_"

His words brought them to the edge of their seats. "**WHAT?**" Kh'alik could no longer contain himself. "**You ****must ****return! ****You ****know ****that ****the ****Council ****demands ****it! ****You ****will ****be ****persecuted ****to ****the ****end ****of ****your ****days, ****Kh****'****aan! ****You ****must****…**"

"_**Kh**__**'**__**val **__**is **__**dead.**_"

The High Elder froze. _What? __It __is __not __possible!_ He exchanged a horrified glance with Sh'aan, whose mouth opened and closed several times before she could speak. She leaned forward anxiously.

"**Kh****'****aan, ****what ****has ****happened? ****Please, ****you ****must ****tell ****us.**"

Their Firstborn seemed to shrink within himself, and he hung his head with heavy breaths before it seemed that he was able to speak. "_**Kh**__**'**__**val **__**is **__**dead. **__**I **__**have **__**killed **__**my **__**brother. **__**He**__**…**__**he**__**…**_" Kh'aan visibly trembled, and his voice choked off into a piercing whine before he regained control of it. "_**He **__**attacked **__**Kayla. **__**He**__**…**__**violated **__**her!**__" _The hunter snarled and clenched his fists. "_**His **__**life **__**was **__**forfeit **__**the **__**moment **__**he **__**touched **__**her!**_"

Kh'alik fell back in his chair, Kh'aan's words searing through his mind like wildfire. He did not want to believe that it was true, but by the look on his Firstborn's face and the absence of the female by his side, there was no escaping the reality. Grand Matron Sh'aan gripped his hand beneath the desk, her claws almost digging into his skin, and asked what he feared to know.

"**Does ****she ****live?**"

"_**For **__**the **__**moment.**_" Kh'aan closed his eyes and his hands began to tremble as they held his head. "_**She **__**is**__**…**__**broken. **__**I **__**have **__**done **__**all **__**that **__**I **__**can, **__**but **__**I**__**…**__**I **__**do **__**not **__**know **__**how **__**to **__**heal **__**her **__**without **__**a **__**module. **__**I **__**cannot **__**save **__**her**__**…**__**Paya **__**help **__**me, **__**I **__**do **__**not **__**know **__**what **__**to **__**do.**_" His voice grew strained with overwhelming despair.

Kh'alik sat forward. "**Then ****you ****must ****return, ****Kh****'****aan. ****My ****module ****will ****heal ****her. ****You ****must ****bring ****her ****to ****the ****clan ****ship.**"

The hunter shuddered again as another heavy whine escaped his throat. It seemed that he had thought of the option, but was unwilling to utilize it. He shook his head with a hard snort. "_**No. **__**She **__**would **__**not **__**be **__**safe. **__**I **__**will **__**not **__**put **__**her **__**in **__**further **__**danger.**_"

"**Then ****we ****will ****come ****to ****you****…**"

Their Firstborn raised a hand to silence them. "_**No, **__**that **__**can **__**never **__**be. **__**This **__**is **__**the **__**last **__**time **__**that **__**we **__**will **__**speak. **__**If **__**she **__**lives, **__**I **__**intend **__**to **__**take **__**her **__**as **__**far **__**away **__**as **__**possible. **__**No **__**Yautja **__**will **__**ever **__**threaten **__**her **__**again **__**as **__**long **__**as **__**I **__**am **__**alive. **__**If **__**she **__**dies**__**…**_" He choked on the words, but when he raised his eyes they were cold and empty. "_**If **__**she **__**dies, **__**I **__**will **__**join **__**her.**_"

The Elders were stunned by his declaration, and watched helplessly as he reached forward to end the transmission. "_**Inform **__**the **__**Council **__**that **__**anyone **__**they **__**send **__**after **__**us **__**will **__**meet **__**the **__**same **__**fate **__**as **__**my **__**twisted **__**brother. **__**I **__**will **__**show **__**no **__**mercy.**_"

Sh'aan suddenly found the strength to speak and nearly shouted at the image. "**Kh****'****aan, ****wait!**" When he paused to meet her gaze, she squeezed Kh'alik's hand. "**Markedis.**"

The High Elder barked in surprise. "**Sh****'****aan! ****It ****is ****forbidden!**"

She met her consort's eyes and nodded sadly. "**I ****will ****not ****let ****her ****die, ****Kh****'****alik. ****Kh****'****aan, ****go ****to ****Markedis. ****I ****will ****send ****you ****the ****coordinates. ****The ****liquid ****that ****is ****used ****in ****the ****regeneration ****modules ****was ****originally ****taken ****from ****the ****sacred ****pool ****in ****the ****center ****of ****the ****ruins. ****Take ****her ****there. ****It ****will ****heal ****her. ****Please, ****Kh****'****aan! ****Take ****her ****there!**" Sh'aan reached forward and quickly entered the location for the ancient planet.

They watched as Kh'aan accepted the coordinates and checked them in the ship's system. A spark of hope lit in his eyes, and he nodded slightly before addressing them again. "_**Thank **__**you. **__**Please **__**understand**__**…**__**I **__**meant **__**to **__**return. **__**I **__**truly **__**intended **__**to **__**face **__**the **__**Council **__**and **__**take **__**responsibility**__**…**_"

Kh'alik nodded, humility finally breaking through the storm of denial in his mind. "**It ****is ****I ****who ****should ****beg ****your ****forgiveness, ****Kh****'****aan. ****This ****was ****all ****a ****result ****of ****my ****impetuous ****actions ****on ****that ****planet. ****I ****was ****wrong ****to****…**"

"_**It **__**is **__**of **__**no **__**consequence **__**now. **__**What **__**was **__**done **__**cannot **__**be **__**undone.**_" Kh'aan sighed heavily, and to their surprise he addressed them in perfectly clear human speech. "Goodbye, Mother. Goodbye…Father."

Before they could respond the comm. went dead, and moments later an alarm sounded on Kh'alik's console indicating that the tracking link to Kh'val's communications array had been severed. Sh'aan and Kh'alik stuttered unintelligibly, unable to tear their eyes from the console.

How had things gone so horribly wrong?

########

End…of _A __Fine __Mess_

…to be continued

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AN: I love you all, and because you're AWESOME, the up-until-now-not-happening sequel WILL HAPPEN! Stay tuned!

AN2: My previous note about the run-on words is worthless...un-bolding the quotes didn't work. Sorry. -da Cap'n


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